"The point of probity rules is to get the best value for money, and some people might call it red tape, but there's a trade-off between efficiency and urgency," Mr Duckett said.
Mr Hunt's spokesman said "we are not aware of, nor have any record of, any lobbying by Dr Wooldridge on behalf of Aspen Medical in relation to any procurement". This year, the company attracted headlines over a $40 million contract which The Australian said it had received "in a secret deal" with the Palaszczuk government to provide health services at a new Queensland quarantine facility.claiming Aspen Medical was the only suitable operator for the jobThe Queensland government conceded it did not consult with local health care providers about the granting of a key COVID-19 quarantine contract that did not go to tender.
Four Corners has also established Aspen Medical has been embroiled in a top-level money-laundering investigation following its involvement in a multimillion-dollar hospital project in Hambantota, on Sri Lanka's southern coast. It was part of 4.3 million euro and $US537,000 remitted in total to the offshore company by Aspen Medical, EN-Projects and a German company Juga Bau GmbH, which police "suspected… is a derivative or a result of an illegal activity".
When police investigating the hospital deal first questioned Mr Perera about the source of unexplained funds that had arrived in his personal bank accounts, he told them it was an Italian businessman, whose identity he could not substantiate with an address or phone number.