DUSHANBE, January 18, 2012, Asia-Plus — New charge has been officially brought against Jourabek Okhounov, top manager of “Movarounnahr,” which is Tajikistan’s largest real estate development company.
Okhounov’s defense lawyer Shuhrat Qudratov told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon that the charge of causing property damage by deception or abuse of confidence (Article 253 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code) has been officially brought against his client.
We will recall that First Deputy Prosecutor General, Abduqodir Muhammadiyev, told reporters on January 10 that the Prosecutor-General’s Office has launched repeat probe into activity of Movarounnahr.
According to him, the previous investigation covered the period from 2007 to 2010. The repeat revision is also covering the period from 2005 to 2006.
Muhammadiyev noted that damage caused by the company has been estimated at some 15 million U.S. dollars. Besides, Movarounnahr has reportedly embezzled more than 7.4 million somoni allocated by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for construction of the health center in the Danghara district.
Jourabek Okhounov was arrested in November 2010 and a criminal investigation into the private real-estate developer was sent to the Supreme Court for consideration in August 2011.
Movarounnahr accountant Bobo Nasimov noted in July 2011 that for the past nine months the company has been unable to function. He said it has been impossible even to pay employees” salaries since the company”s bank accounts were frozen.
New charge was brought against Okhounov in September 2011. Okhounov, who had previously been charged with a large scale fraud, now also faced the charge of embezzlement of 750,000 somoni that were allocated by the Agency for Insurance under the Government of Tajikistan for construction of two buildings in the provinces.
Okhounov’s defense lawyer Shuhrat Qudratov says the buildings were supposed to be put in commission at the end of 2010, while Mr. Okhounov has been held in custody since November 2010 and the company has not operated since that time, and therefore, the building were not put in commission in time. According to him, the prosecution has failed to produce evidence supporting that charge brought against his client.
In the meantime, a statement by Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda published in the state-run newspaper
Jumhuriyat
on August 23, 2011 says that Movarounnahr is continuing to operate, even though its top manager Jourabek Okhounov is under arrest.
The findings of the first audit have reportedly shown that the company has spent 135 million somoni for construction of all facilities. This amount includes 108 million somoni of customers, bank loans and tender means allocated for construction of social facilities in the south of Tajikistan. The remaining 27 million somoni are personal means of Jourabek Okhounov. Private investments have been estimated at 62 million somoni. A total number of customers of Movarounnahr was 700 people; 250 of them have already received apartments or authorizations to occupy apartments and 450 others are still waiting for apartments in half-finished buildings.
