Almalyk Mining Metallurgical Complex has defended over $200 million in tenders to foreign firms after a joint OCCRP and Finance Uncovered investigation found dormant companies, hidden common ownership, and disputed electronic signatures on contracts.
A company owned by Nur Muhammed Palvan, son of an alleged Central Asian smuggling tycoon, paid $3 million for a north London church now operating as the UK’s first Uyghur mosque — raising questions about the origin of the funds.
An OCCRP investigation has found that ten foreign companies — including two UK-registered firms that declared themselves dormant — won over $200 million in contracts from Uzbekistan’s state-owned Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, with evidence pointing to a single individual behind the network and forged signatures on key documents.
