The UK is concerned over activity of “Scottish” companies operating in Uzbekistan, according to an article published by The Times.
The World Bank in 2020 blacklisted an anonymously owned Scottish company NovoLine Resources after exposing “fraudulent practices” in an emergency medical aid program.
NovoLine Resources won the tender of the Uzbek Health Ministry for the supply of anesthetic and respiratory equipment. The World Bank, which financed the purchase, discovered that the company had provided forged documents, including financial statements.
“It is shocking but perhaps unsurprising to see yet more reports of limited partnerships registered in the UK being used for illicit purposes abroad”, says MP Alison Thewliss.
According to her, the government needs to address this issue, because it is about the UK’s reputation as a place for doing honest business.
Who owns NovoLine Resources or who profited from contracts funded by the World Bank remains unknown. The company neither has a website, nor phone number, nor email address.
“The company is registered in Edinburgh in the building where the dog care business is located”, The Times said.
The article noted that two years ago, another international organization, UNDP, imposed sanctions on four “Scottish” firms for fraudulent schemes in Uzbekistan. Like NovoLine Resources, they were all limited liability partnerships or SLPs. Such businesses can be bought online for just a couple of thousand euros. (Uzreport/Business World Magazine)