PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Legal professionals for the previous vice chairman of the Worldwide Soccer Federation (FOFA), Jack Warner, have given former prime minister Dr. Keith Rowley 14 days to reply to a pre-action protocol letter as campaigning for the April 28 normal elections enters its remaining days.
The legal professionals say that their shopper is demanding a full retraction, apology, and compensation from Rowley for statements he made on the political platform of the ruling Folks’s Nationwide Motion (PNM) on April 16.
“My legal professionals will learn it with nice care,” Rowley informed the Newsday newspaper on Wednesday.
Within the pre-action protocol letter dated April 22, 2025, the legal professionals say that Rowley falsely made statements about Warner, a former authorities minister who’s concerned within the marketing campaign with the primary opposition United Nationwide Congress (UNC), which are solely unfaithful and defamatory.
They insist that their shopper has by no means been convicted of against the law, has not prevented courtroom proceedings, and has not misplaced any authorized case involving the Centre of Excellence.
The legal professionals mentioned the statements brought on severe reputational hurt, particularly in the course of the ongoing election campaigning.
“The regulation acknowledges that sturdy political debate is key to democracy. Whereas politicians are entitled to reply robustly to criticism and are afforded some latitude in political discourse, this doesn’t prolong to creating false statements of undeniable fact that harm repute,” the legal professionals wrote, including that the remarks went past honest political remark and have been introduced as factual assertions with out foundation.
Warner’s attorneys have been reminded of remarks from the Privy Council, which famous that in a free and democratic society, it ought to go with out saying that public officers should stay open to criticism and that any effort to suppress such criticism constitutes a very dangerous type of political censorship.
“This precept works each methods. Politicians talking publicly should observe excessive requirements of accuracy and equity because the public must know the correct place and is inevitably influenced by what is claimed.
“The fitting to free expression in political issues, whereas vital, isn’t limitless. Your categorical assertions of felony conviction and evasion of justice have been introduced as information with out qualification.
“They went far past legit political discourse and can’t be justified as honest remark or trustworthy opinion, as they lack the mandatory factual basis,” the legal professionals wrote.
Rowley isn’t contesting the 2025 normal election, having resigned final month after 45 years in energetic politics.
