PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Feb 27, CMC – The United States has sought to intervene in the judicial review lawsuit filed by former FIFA vice president Austin Jack Warner challenging the decision of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to sign off on a document to have him extradited to the United States.

Attorney Vanessa Gopaul, who is representing the US, appeared in court Friday indicating her client’s intension to apply to be joined as an interested party in the matter.

But Warner’s lawyer, Fyard Hosein, SC, immediately challenged the position, questioning the reason for Washington’s attempt to enter the case.

“It (the US) is partisan in its approach. They want to get Warner there in the shortest possible time,” Hosein said.

But Justice James About said that Hosein will be able to make extensive submissions on the issue at a later date, and instructed Gopaul to file her client’s application by March 18. Hosein also has until that date to file an application to adduce expert testimony in the case.

Warner, 72 has been released on TT$2.5 million (One TT dollar =US$0.16) bail when he made his first court appearance on May 27 last year.

He is charged with 12 offences related to racketeering, corruption and money laundering allegedly committed in the jurisdiction of the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, dating as far back as 1990.

Warner, in his claim, is questioning the procedure adopted by the Office of the Attorney General in signing off on the US’s request for his extradition made in May, last year, at the end of the US Department of Justice’s investigation into the world governing football body.

He is facing fraud and money-laundering charges related to his two decades as a FIFA vice-president.

Earlier this year, Justice Aboud granted Warner a stay of his ongoing extradition proceedings currently before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar, which will expire after Aboud decides on the legality and constitutionality of his extradition.

Warner’s attorneys are alleging that this country’s extradition treaty with the US contradicts the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act. They are claiming that, in passing the act, Parliament afforded citizens certain protections which are ignored by the international treaty.

He is also complaining that Al-Rawi failed to give his attorneys a fair opportunity to make representations to him before he signed off on the Authority to Proceed, which was required to kick off the proceedings before Ayers-Caesar.

Shortly after taking over the case from his predecessor Garvin Nicholas in September, last year, Al-Rawi extended the option to Warner. However, his attorneys allegedly refused as they said it was made a day before Al-Rawi was required to approve the extradition.