The alleged deal was negotiated in the early days of the Covid-19 crisis when Ireland was scrabbling to acquire PPE and crucial medical supplies amidst a global shortage. Just after 9pm on Friday March 27, 2020, the HSE signed a contract to buy 350 ventilators from a company based in Rathnew, Co Wicklow called Narooma at a cost of almost €7.5 million.  That same night, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the first lockdown as Covid-19 case numbers in Ireland began to rise. The grim reality of the pandemic was striking home and it was anticipated that a large number of…

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