The Health Ministry has formed a task force to draft a White Paper following the cabinet's decision on Jan 18 to provide a comprehensive look at the Covid-19 vaccine procurement process.
In a statement today, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the White Paper will scrutinise the procurement procedures to ensure transparency and protect public interest.
"This follows preliminary investigations by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and Legal Affairs Division (in the Prime Minister's Department) which conducted due diligence (investigations), especially on the terms of agreement for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines signed during the emergency," she said.
In 2021, the then-Muhyiddin Yassin administration declared an emergency between Jan 12 and Aug 1 to deal with Covid-19.
At the time, Khairy Jamaluddin was the science, technology and innovation minister. He was also tasked as the minister in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
Back then, the government had tapped RM5 billion from the National Trust Fund (Kwan) to finance the vaccination programme.
On Feb 8, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government had found improprieties in the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and that details will be revealed in the White Paper.
"It did not follow procedure and was signed by the minister, without the agreement from the AGC," said Anwar.
Yesterday, Khairy told Sinar Harian that the vaccine procurement was done entirely by the book and noted that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had already expressed satisfaction with the process. - Mkini
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