Complaints body probing $.9m aircraft contract

The Police Complaints Authority is moving full speed ahead with the probe regarding the award of a $900,772 contract to a company for a light aircraft to conduct anti-crime initiatives for the Police Service. The authority’s director, Gillian Lucky, confirmed that the complaint did, in fact, fall within the remit of the authority and therefore the organisation was duty-bound to initiate action. Last week, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley wrote to chairman of the Police Service Commission Prof Ramesh Deosaran and to Lucky, to determine whether there was serious police misconduct in the awarding of the contract. “We have determined that the matter does, in fact, fall within in the remit of the authority and therefore we have to initiate action,” Lucky said. “We are not an investigative body but the action we are taking is primarily evidence gathering to determine whether any wrongdoing has been committed.” 

 

She said the authority had written to National Security Minister John Sandy, requesting documents relating to the procurement process, and to Deosaran, requesting copies of the reports which were submitted by Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Ewatski on the matter. Asked when the evidence-gathering operation was expected to be completed, Lucky said she could not set a timeline as that would depend on the response from the various bodies to submit the requested documents. She emphasised that once the evidence showed that both Gibbs and Ewatski acted above board, that would automatically be the end of the matter. Lucky said, however, that if the two top cops were culpable, according the evidence presented, then a file would be submitted to the various bodies, including Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard for instructions. “If the evidence points to any serious police misconduct, then automatically the authority will have to submit a file and from there a further decision would be taken,” Lucky said. She described the allegations made against Gibbs and Ewatski as very serious, saying that the subject had generated much public debate.