DUSHANBE, August 5, 2011, Asia-Plus — The trial of Jurabek Okhunov, chairman of the real estate development company Movarounnahr, is continuing in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Judge Shuhrat Abdulkhayrov presides over the trial; the court yesterday heard four victims and the judge then ordered the adjournment until today.
We will recall that Jurabek Okhunov was arrested last November. The detention followed his accusation of fraud and illegal entrepreneurship. Prosecutors immediately confiscated the company”s seal and froze its bank accounts.
The findings of inspection of Movarounnahr’s activities reportedly shown that 135 million somoni were spent for all construction facilities. Of this amount, 108 million somoni are investments of customers, bank loans as well as tender funds allocated for construction of social facilities in the south of Tajikistan. The customers’ funds reportedly amount to 62 million somoni. The remaining 27 million somoni are means of Jurabek Okhunov.
In the meantime, Okhunov’s lawyer, Shuhrat Qudratov, told Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service on July 27 that his client is accused only of selling the same apartment to several people. Qudratov said the Tajik anticorruption agency conducted an investigation into Movarounnahr”s activities last month but found no evidence of illegal dealings by either the company or Okhunov.
Judge Abdulkhayrov said the Movarounnahr case is complicated as there are some 600 Movarounnahr customers who made payments on homes that have not yet been completed and are awaiting a resolution of the case against Okhunov.
RFE/RL says almost all of those clients want Okhunov released from detention so he can compensate their losses or arrange for the completion of their houses and apartments.
Muhammadnazar Rahmatshoyev, who heads an informal committee representing the interests of Movarounnahr customers who lost their money, told RFE/RL on July 27 that those clients have asked for Okhunov to be released. He quoted the Prosecutor-General”s Office as saying that even though Okhunov is under arrest, his company can continue to operate and complete any unfinished construction projects.
Movarounnahr accountant Bobo Nasimov said that for the past nine months the company has been unable to function, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. He said it has been impossible even to pay employees” salaries since the company”s bank accounts were frozen. Nasimov said the company has received complaints from some 680 customers, 20 percent of whom have already taken possession of their apartments but have not been given the ownership deeds because the company seal was confiscated.
According to RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, Movarounnahr officials admit the company owes some 13 million somoni ($2.75 million) to banks and a further 2.5 million somoni to its customers.
