A RETIRED senior HSE official who received hundreds of thousands of euro in non-tendered contracts has said “the country is awash” with former officials who earn money the same way.

THE health service official given two non-tendered contracts worth almost €300,000 by a state group he chaired months before leaving the public sector has defended the cost, saying “some of it went on VAT”.

THE chairman of the state’s implementation body for health sector reform has received over €1 million in severance fees, non-tendered projects from former colleagues and other payouts since retiring from the health service.