Former Chief Justice of Barbados Sir David Simmons attended his first meeting of the newly created CONCACAF integrity committee on Tuesday in New York City.
Apart from Sir David, the integrity committee includes Judge Ricardo Urbina, a retired United States District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, and Ernesto Hempe, a retired partner of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, who has over 30 years’ experience in financial matters.
The committee was presented with CONCACAF’s terms of reference and has been tasked with reviewing and reporting past practices to the executive committee in order to ensure clarity regarding all pending issues within the confederation.
“This meeting marks the beginning of the independent review process requested by members of the confederation during the Congress in Budapest,” said CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb.
“We have invited the most qualified and reputable individuals in their fields to assist us in the fulfillment of our vision of integrity, transparency and accountability, which will help us build a transparent structure and allow our region to grow.”
Sir David, who served as Chief Justice from 2002 to 2010, said: “It was beneficial to meet with president Jeffrey Webb and the other members of the integrity committee.
“This was the first step towards an important process and I am pleased that CONCACAF is approaching such matters in a responsible manner as it sets an ethical standard for its new governance.” (EZS)