Moreover, over UZS 365 billion was spent in the Fergana region for the procurement of special protective gear, which is almost three times higher than the national average for such procurement (Graph 4). It is important to underline that no information was disclosed on the procurement of medical equipment in the Sirdarya region, which raises questions about the transparency of procurement in this region or the possible reasons this region did not spend any money on this equipment during a pandemic. Graph 4. Procurement of medical equipment in Uzbekistan funded from the Anti-Crisis Fund (by August 2020) 400 350 bln, USZ 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Regions Personal protective masks Special protective gear, overall Antiseptics, hygiene products Eight companies received the majority of the contracts for the construction of medical facilities in Uzbekistan, with three companies, namely Obod Shahar Qurish, Enter Engineering PTE and Uztemiryulkurilishmontazh, receiving as much as the other 21 companies (Graph 5). Considering that no tenders were held due to the COVID-19 emergency, this calls into question the rationale for this decision. Recent investigations 12 13 have confirmed that Obod Shahar Qurish, Enter Engineering and Uztemiryulkurilishmontazh are affiliated with the president of Uzbekistan and the mayor of Tashkent, and that they have been responsible for deliberate price speculation. 'Суриштирув: Мирзиëев пандемияга "ачинмай" сарфлаган $8 миллиард кимларга тегди?', Озодлик, 28 June 2021. 'Миллионы на борьбу с COVID-19 достались мэру Ташкента, связанному с "Газпромом" олигарху и первому вице-премьеру Узбекистана. Расследование', Новое Время, 29 June 2021. 12 13 5