Oliver Camps, a close friend and colleague of former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, has spoken about the FBI’s claim that his former boss was involved in bribery.
Mr Camps was Jack Warner’s right hand man and close friend for more than 20 years – now the former Fifa executive committee member is wanted by the FBI. He’s the first of Mr Warner’s inner circle to speak out publicly about what happened.
Mr Camps told Channel 4 News: “We were like brothers… I could tell him what I wanted and we were very frank with each other. I realise I should not have put so much confidence in him because he made me do the wrong thing and I was doing it very innocently. I knew nothing about those things.”
Mr Camps was chair of Caribbean football’s finance committee and signed cheques in Trinidad for millions on Jack Warner’s behalf.
These cheques were supposed to finance Trinidad’s team in the 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany. Cheques that were still being signed three years after the World Cup had ended – in what the authorities there allege was a money laundering operation on Jack Warner’s behalf.
“If he came to me and told me there was some transaction, I had confidence in him, I would sign. I am amazed that I did not detect these things at the time but I just didn’t. I just thought everything was above board,” he says.
Mr Camps says he was not aware of wrongdoing and says he feels let down by someone to whom he was very close.
Jack Warner was not available for comment, but has previously denied wrongdoing.