New figures show that Scottish Enterprise paid out almost £700,000 last year to multinational arms companies.
Some of the five firms that benefited from the taxpayers’ cash injection have been accused of trade links to countries with records of human rights abuses, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The Scottish Government jobs quango has been criticised in the past for giving grants to defence and munitions companies.
Their latest payments were made in the year from April 2020 to March 2021.
The biggest beneficiary over that period was arms giant Leonardo MW, which received £503,369. This was in addition to the £7.5 million already paid to it by the government agency since 2015.
Leonardo, which operates a factory in Edinburgh, has produced laser systems for F-16 fighter jets used by Turkish forces in Syria. It also makes guns, warplanes, drones and missiles.
The company was worth £7 billion in 2015 and employs about 7000 people across the UK.
Another beneficiary was Thales, which received £98,000. It’s one of the world’s biggest arms companies, with more than $9billion of arms sales in 2019.
Glasgow-based Thales has sold military equipment to both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The figures, obtained under Freedom of Information, show that a total of £657,919 was awarded to five munitions firms in the last 12 months.
James Fisher Defence Ltd received £26,574, while Babock Marine was given £27,028.
Chemring, based in Stevenston, Ayrshire, got £2769 in funding.
Chemring has been accused of selling teargas to Hong Kong and Egypt, used in the quelling of protests.In 2018 the Sunday Mail highlighted how Scottish Enterprise gave £200,590 to US arms giant Raytheon over a six-year period, despite the firm selling missile parts to Saudi Arabia.
Scottish Enterprise is estimated to have handed out about £20 million to arms manufactures in Scotland since 2007.
Andrew Smith, of the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “Public money should be used for the public good, in Scotland and around the world. If arms companies are not considered beyond the pale, then who is?”
Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson Ross Greer added: “The cosy relationship between arms dealers and the Scottish Government is shocking.
"No supplier of arms and military equipment to brutal regimes such as Turkey or Israel should receive a single penny of Scottish taxpayers’ cash."
A Scottish Enterprise spokesperson said: “We do not support the manufacture of munitions.
“Our work with defence companies is predominantly focused on helping firms diversify to ensure Scotland continues to benefit from the thousands of jobs across the aerospace, defence and marine industry.”
Chemring said they were no longer involved in the sale of tear gas.
A spokesperson said: “That business was sold in 2019.” They added that the £2769 granted to them last year was towards the salary costs of an apprentice engineer.
No one at Leonardo or Thales responded to our request for comment.
