Parts of Covid-19 vaccine deal not referred to AGC, PM Anwar says when asked about ‘irregularities’ under previous govt

Anwar says part of what he said is true even if it is not entirely true

(MMO) – Parts of the Covid-19 vaccine procurement agreement was not referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has revealed today.

He said there was some truth in what was raised in his earlier statement, when he said that there were “irregularities” with Malaysia’s multi-billion-ringgit purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.

“In the question of vaccine, Tanjong Karang did not look at the entirety [of the matter].

“There were some truths that were raised, there were parts of [the agreement] which were not referred to the AGC,” Anwar told the Parliament today during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

The prime minister was responding to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Tanjong Karang MP Datuk Zulkafperi Hanapi who asked if the former would retract his statement that the Covid-19 vaccine procurement was done without the approval of the AGC as mentioned in the Health White Paper tabled last week in Parliament.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health said the government signed off on a Covid-19 vaccine procurement agreement that favoured the producers and suppliers more than the country’s coffers to save lives.

Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni told the Dewan Rakyat the situation at that time was about life and death.

On February 8, Anwar had said that ministers from previous administrations had signed off on Malaysia’s Covid-19 procurement without the express approval of the AGC.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, two ministries were put in charge of Covid-19 pandemic-related matters as well as the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba was the health minister while Khairy Jamaluddin was then the science, technology and innovation minister during the administration under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin beginning March 2020.