In their rush to get the equipment, they may have flouted the government’s procurement procedures or SOP.

“But the reality is that there was and still is a high demand for testing laboratories from all over the world, so abiding by all SOP may take time,” a source told FMT.

“At the end of April, we could only test some 7,000 people. The main consideration of some was to make sure that Malaysia could get these vital testing laboratories.

“The results were the main consideration,” the source added.

It said some procurement procedures such as open tenders may not have been observed.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya had denied reports claiming that several health ministry officers were arrested in raids over the matter.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah meanwhile said the ministry would cooperate with the MACC in its probe.

It is understood that the company given the contract, which is active in the construction field, has already delivered on the supply of testing laboratories for the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) at the National Health Institute in Setia Alam, Selangor.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba had visited the IMR Covid-19 laboratory along with his two deputies, Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali and Aaron Ago Dagang.

The laboratory which began operations this week is part of the government’s measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is equipped with technology and equipment from China and can test 5,000 Covid-19 samples a day.

The RM30 million contract is expected to cover 180,000 tests at about RM166 per test.

“This is a reasonable amount when you consider that at private healthcare facilities, the price for Covid-19 tests range from RM300 to RM700,” an official told FMT.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR LIVE UPDATE OF THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA

Fake or not? Check our quick fake news buster here.