Aircraft $m rental ‘on AG’s desk’

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is  investigating the award of a $900,772 contract to Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Company (TTASC) for use of a light aircraft by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. However, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who revealed this yesterday, is not commenting on whether the contracts of Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and his deputy Jack Ewatski are at risk as a result of this controversial plane deal. She said that is within the remit of the Police Service Commission (PSC). Persad-Bissessar spoke with reporters yesterday at the sod ceremony for construction of a US$4 million medical laboratory at the Couva Health Facility. The project is being sponsored by PCS Nitrogen. “We will need to see if any rules have been breached, whether any tender procedures have been breached before we can make any statements on the matter,” she said. On Thursday the PSC gave Gibbs seven days in which to submit a report on the award of the contract.

 

Asked if the AG’s probe is a parallel investigation to the PSC’s, Persad-Bissessar said: “No . . . that’s the PSC’s job. Obviously its functions and roles are a constitutional one. It is a different role from the AG, who is a lawyer. (He) will look at it, as I said, to see if any breach of regulations has been made.” While she declined comment on the controversy surrounding the award of the contract for the aircraft, Persad-Bissessar said, she received a report on the matter from Minister of National Security John Sandy and it has been passed to Ramlogan for his advice. Asked if she agreed that Gibbs was “ill-advised” to award the contract, she said: “It is inappropriate for me to make any comments until I get the legal advice I seek from the Attorney General.” Persad-Bissessar’s National Security Advisor Gary Griffith has indicated that Gibbs spoke to him on the matter. However, Persad-Bissessar said she was not aware of such a conversation.

“It depends on the circumstances. I think it would be more appropriate, however, for the Commissioner to consult with the Ministry of National Security,” she added. Asked if she was satisfied with Gibbs’ performance, Persad-Bissessar said: “There is always, always room for improvement.”