Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has written to Police Service Commission chairman Prof Ramesh Deosaran calling for a probe into the conduct of top cops Dwayne Gibbs and Jack Ewatski in the award of a contract to a "fly by night" company to provide the services of a light aircraft to the Police Service.

Rowley raised the issue again at a news conference at his Charles Street, Port of Spain, office yesterday where he produced a number of documents to show that Gibbs gave the contract to a company at a higher cost when he (Gibbs) had in his possession proposals from another company at a much lower price.

Rowley produced a letter dated October 6, 2010 to Gibbs from Eddie Dallsingh, managing director of Navi-Comm Avionics Ltd.

In that letter, Dallsingh said he could help make a big impact in the fight against crime, with provision of light sport aircraft to the police at a cost of US$35 an hour (TT$224) and asked Gibbs for an opportunity to make a presentation.

However, by letter dated December 31, 2010, Gibbs responded to Dallsingh, advising him to forward his proposal to the National Security Ministry's permanent secretary.

Rowley then produced another document—a certified copy of notice of change of directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Co Ltd.

In this document, Daniel Condon (airline pilot) and soldiers Dirk Barnes and Kevon Stafford were listed as the directors.

Rowley said this company was formed in July 2011, only after one of its principals was in association with Ewatski.

Details of a new e-mail provided by Opposition MP Donna Cox, who first raised the matter in Parliament on Friday, stated that since June 5, 2011, from Condon to Barnes, they were hopeful of sealing the deal after flying with Ewatski.

Rowley further produced another document- a letter of intent- sent by Gibbs to Barnes- which thanked the company for its interest to provide a "unique" service to the police.

In Gibbs's letter to Barnes, he stated that the contract would be awarded to Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Ltd at a cost of US$140,400,000 (TT$902,772,000).

The contract was in the form of a pilot project for 720 hours over a 12-week period.

Also in Rowley's possession was a copy of the contract between the Police Service and Trinidad and Tobago Air Support Ltd, which was signed by Barnes on Boxing Day - December 26, 2011 and by Gibbs on December 29.

Rowley said this "fly by night" company, "whose only qualification is that they got close to officers who are in a position to make these decisions and the procurement process leaves everything to be desired".

He said one has to assume that this pilot project will be approved to enter into a long-term contract with the Police Service and, according to his calculations, Rowley said this could turn into a $10 million contract for this company over a three-year period, using the figures for the pilot project.

"What we have here is a sereptitious entry into a multi-million-dollar contract," said Rowley.

"The conduct of officers who should protect the public purse and in fact who should call into question the conduct of other people, their own conduct is now a matter of concern to us," he said.

"Today I am sending this entire file in my possession to the Police Service Commission, where they will examine the conduct of the Commissioner of Police and the deputy Commissioner of Police in this matter...They will then determine whether the conduct is the kind that poses no threat to the people of this country," he added.

Rowley said what bothered him was that when the matter was raised in Parliament last Friday, National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy did not see the jeopardy in the inappropriate conduct of Ewatski, but was more concerned as to where the Opposition got its information from. See Page 4.