Deputy Minister of the Health Ministry and Chairperson of the Ministry’s Bid Committee, Nishaama Mohamed has said that there was no attempt to make an illicit profit to anyone in the process to buy ventilators.

She made the comment in a press statement issued today after the Auditor General, Hassan Ziyath has accused the Bid Committee of the Health Ministry of negligence in the process to buy ventilators to the Ministry.

Addressing the parliament’s FInancial Committee following the audit report on the ventilator purchase, the Auditor General said that the Bid Committee was negligent in choosing select companies to purchase 149 ventilators to support the efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic and contracting the purchase illegally at a high price in way that caused major financial loss.

However, the Chairperson of the Bid Committee, Nishaama issued a statement today saying that the committee, as the head authority, acted with truthfully and faithfully.

The statement said that the committee made decisions based on the information and documentation they received and the details of what happened would be shared with investigative bodies.

Deputy Minister, Nishaama said that committee made the decision under Financial Regulations to contract the purchase of 75 ventilators through Dubai’s Executors General Trading LLC as a single-source procurement.