FORMER justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, has been appointed as the new chair of the Scottish Anti Illicit Trade Group (SAITG).
The 59-year-old SNP politician will head up the group - which brings together experts from both the public and private sectors with the aim of reducing the impact of illegal trade across Scotland.
Mr MacAskill, who will chair meetings between HMRC, Police Scotland, Trading Standards, industry regulators and private sector representatives said: “It is a great credit to those involved that they’ve pulled together so many important organisations and managed to get them round the table.
“I think it’s agreed that a problem shared is a problem halved so it’s great to have so many experts on board and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help.
“The creation and sale of illicit goods is not a victimless crime. It puts hard working people out of business and undermines the economy.”
SAITG say the unlawful sales of counterfeit products costs the country’s economy millions each year and "threatens the jobs of many hardworking Scots whose services can be undermined by shoddy – or even dangerous – fakes".
It was formed by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) in 2014 and aims to reduce the scale, impact and cost of illicit trade across the country.
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