Top cops in the hierarchy of the Police Service expressed shock when the “mark buss” in Parliament last Friday that Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs had agreed to lease a light sport aircraft for $900,772 to assist in the fight against crime.
They say it would appear it was a “secret” deal since they were not consulted or were privy to any details of the agreement to lease a Zenith Air scout surveillance aircraft, which is now the centre of a controversy over the exorbitant expenditure.
The matter was first raised in the House by Opposition MP Donna Cox, who revealed details of the three-month lease of the aircraft from what was described as a “fly by night” company, Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Company, supplying its “Sky View Surveillance Support” as a “law enforcement aviation pilot project”.
The contract is for 720 hours use for a three-month evaluation period at a cost of US$140,000.
The officers said it would appear that only Gibbs and his deputy Jack Ewatski were involved in the lease agreement.
When contacted Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson said he had no comment to make.
“All I know is what I have been reading in the newspaper,” he said.
Sources say the matter was discussed at last week’s National Security Council meeting.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, as head of the National Security Council, and National Security Minister John Sandy were also in the dark over the deal.
Commissioner Gibbs, who returned to the country on Friday evening, is expected to prepare a comprehensive report to be submitted to Sandy and the Police Service Commission (PSC).
The PSC has given Gibbs seven days to submit his report.
Sandy wants Gibbs to provide a report of the contract between the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Company for the lease of the aircraft.
Persad-Bissessar said that neither her Cabinet nor the National Security Council ever authorised Gibbs to lease the aircraft to be used as part of the national security operation.
However, she noted that Gibbs was within his right to make “certain expenditures” without seeking Cabinet approval or Parliament.
Sandy said he believed that the Commissioner of Police was ill-advised and should have told him.
He has referred a report from Gibbs to Attorney General Anand Ramlogan.
Gibbs approved the 12-week pilot project proposal, stating that the project appeared to have a “high rate of success,” according to Police Service public relations officer Sgt. Wayne Mystar at a press briefing on Monday.
He said the three-month lease is to evaluate its capabilities and could become an alternative to helicopters.
