The Voice

Rennie: It’s time for answers on China deal

By | Sat 14th May 2016 - 11:45 am

During the election, the Scottish Liberal Demcorats raised questions about a trade deal signed between the SNP Government and Chinese companies with dubious human rights records.

Willie Rennie has now stepped up his quest for more information by tabling  a series of parliamentary questions.

During the election it emerged that the China Railway Group, who own one of the companies involved, had been blacklisted for investment by the Norwegian government’s oil fund over corruption allegations and criticised by Amnesty International over forced evictions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The First Minister admitted that due diligence was not completed on the businesses involved in a deal that it is claimed could be worth up to £10bn. Scottish Government officials failed to respond to Freedom of Information requests from journalists on the deal ahead of the election last week.

Willie said:

The closer you look at this China deal the murkier it looks. The First Minister has admitted that due diligence on the firms involved was not done despite the fact that a business tied to the deal has been blacklisted by Norway’s oil fund and criticised by Amnesty International.

The SNP desperately tried to duck proper scrutiny and failed to respond to Freedom of Information requests within the time limit. There are real questions to answer and the SNP cannot stonewall the Parliament any longer.

We all want to see Scotland grow but working with businesses who are implicated in gross corruption and human rights abuses if not the way to do it.

It is time for answers over how this deal came about and what the SNP government promised the Chinese firms before their photo op at Bute House.

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