Tajik businessman Muqim Ashourov, previously linked to Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda as a former in-law, has been released from detention for the second time in two years after paying a fine.
In a brief phone interview with Asia-Plus, Ashourov stated: “I haven’t been the prime minister’s in-law for four years now. Stop presenting me as such.”
According to sources, Ashourov has been arrested twice on charges of large-scale fraud, and on both occasions, released after paying financial penalties.
His first arrest occurred in May 2025, when he was accused of taking a large sum of money for the sale of a four-story store in Khujand and failing to return the funds. He spent two months in detention before being released.
In an earlier interview with Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, Ashourov denied the fraud accusations, saying: “I’m not a fraudster, just someone who had a debt, and I repaid it.”
Ashourov was detained again in fall 2025, with a court hearing initially scheduled for September 30 at the Khujand City Court. He faced charges under Article 247, Part 4, Clause “b” of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of either a fine between 109,500 and 164,250 somonis or 8 to 12 years in prison.
However, the hearing was postponed, and officials offered no updates on the case until now. Judge Nihobi Ibrohimova, who presided over the case, confirmed that a copy of the verdict was handed to Ashourov but did not disclose the exact fine, stating it could be clarified by the defendant himself.
Ashourov declined to elaborate on the charges when approached by Asia-Plus, simply saying: “What’s done is done.”
No official statements have yet been released by court authorities or representatives of the alleged victims.
According to public records, Muqim Ashourov resides in Bobojon-Ghafourov district, but lists Khujand as his place of residence and identifies as the director of the tourism company Sputnik on social media.
