DUSHANBE, November 11, 2010, Asia-Plus — Jurabek Okhonov, the director general of Tajikistan’s largest construction company, Movarounnahr, was detained by the Dushanbe law enforcement authorities on November 9 and dozens of investors of this company gathered near the Movarounnahr office in Dushanbe yesterday, expressing concern about the fate of the company top manager and their funds invested in construction of apartment buildings, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on November 10.
They demanded to release Okhonov in order that he could give their money back.
To find out more information about this situation, Asia-Plus yesterday applied to the Dushanbe prosecutor’s office, which has considered Dushanbe residents’ applications lodged against the Movarounnahr company. The first deputy prosecutor of Dushanbe, Anvarsho Safarov, however, said that the case had been referred to the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
“We have checked the applications,” said Safarov, “The point is that it is necessary to check all facts in order to institute criminal proceedings. We have checked the facts but then the Prosecutor-General’s Office has taken the case.” According to him, the Prosecutor-General’s Office took the Movarounnahr’s case on Tuesday.
Asia-Plus has failed to get any information in the Prosecutor-General’s Office. Ahror Aymatov, a spokesman for the prosecutor-general’s office, told Asia-Plus by phone that he does not have information about that case because he was outside the office the whole day for service matters. He promised to make available detailed information on Thursday.
Movarounnahr is Tajikistan’s largest construction company. It has been engaged in mortgage housing since 2005. However, not all investors have received their apartments.
On October 25, more than 70 investors lodged a joint application against the company to the Dushanbe prosecutor’s office. The Dushanbe mayor’s office also received applications from persons, who invested in construction of apartment buildings, and sent them for consideration to the Dushanbe prosecutor’s office.
The head of the Committee for Construction and Architecture, Abduuvali Komilov, told reporters last month that the construction company, Movarounnahr, may be declared bankrupt due to serious financial problems. He noted that further construction of facilities by that company was in doubt.
