DUSHANBE, April 28, 2016, Asia-Plus – The government plans to sell its share packages in 31 joint-stock companies by auction this year, according to the State Committee on Investment and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest).
“By April 1, the government has sold its share packages in 10 joint-stock companies and share packages in 21 other companies are expected to be sold before the end of this year,” an official source at GosKomInvest told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Besides, the state-owned property privatization program designed for 2014-2016 also provides for carrying out tenders for selling government’s share packages in 25 other companies.
“This year, the government also plans to sell its share packages in three joint-stock companies in the framework of the individual privatization projects,” the source said.
We will recall that the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) announced an open tender for sale of the tourist and skiing complex Safedorak in November last year. The resort was sold for only 1.925 million somoni (equivalent to little more than 200 U.S. dollars). The new owner of the Safedorak skiing complex is Shamsullo Sohibov, who is a son-in-law of the incumbent President Emomali Rahmon; he is reportedly married to Rahmon’s third daughter Parvina.
Tajik known mineral water resort, Closed Joint Stock Company (CJSC) Shohambari, is also liable to privatization. GosKomInvest announced a tender for privatization of the Shohambari resort on March 1 this year. The initial price for CJSC Shohambari, which is one of Tajikistan’s largest mineral water resorts, is only 3.1 million somoni (equivalent to some 395,000 U.S. dollars).
The mineral water resort is located 25 kilometers northwest of Dushanbe in the Hisor district. A total area of the resort, which is located at a height of 1,150 meters above sea level, is more than 17 hectares.
According to the source, the state-owned gold mining company, Tilloi Tojik (Tajik Gold), was also included in the state-owned property privatization program last year.
Tilloi Tojik was established on the basis of the Darvaz gold mining joint venture, which was established in 1995. Tajikistan owned 51 percent of the shares and the UK-based Gold and Mineral Excavation held a 49% ownership interest in Darvaz. The British company was reportedly pulled out the joint venture in 2000.
Tilloi Tojik produces gold from its alluvial operation at the Yakhsou deposit, located in the Khatlon province in southern Tajikistan. It reportedly has proven reserves of around 25 tons of gold.
