PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba says he will cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over claims of corruption involving the procurement of medical equipment and medicine during the Covid-19 pandemic.

       According to a Sinar Harian report, the former health minister admitted that he received complaints about the matter, indicating that the act was committed at administration level.

       During the pandemic, Dr Adham said there were many processes for procurement that were not going through standard procedure and there was confusion when implementing this.

       "We used emergency procurement procedures when there was an immediate need to complete many things and to accelerate the work – there are things that need to be ordered first and there are things that need deposit payments.

       "All of this was done without going through normal processes and there are things that I know of while I was minister at that time advising them.

       "As minister, I took care of the policy and its implementation which was conducted by the administration, and I listed down all the implementation needs that they wanted.

       "I am ready to cooperate with MACC. There is no doubt as that was for emergency use for the first time," he said to reporters after witnessing the exchange of a memorandum of understanding between National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia, Solution Biologics Sdn Bhd and Cansino Biologics Inc.

       On Tuesday (May 24) MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki had said that there were elements of corruption uncovered involving the procurement of medical equipment and medicine during the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said among instances of abuse of power in diverting relief aid, fraud related to falsified medical protective equipment and the bribery of enforcement officers when enforcing the movement control order.