In Tajikistan, the company of the President’s son-in-law received land for the market’s construction
Instead of the promised self-liquidation, the company “Faroz”, owned by the son-in-law of the President, Shamsullo Sokhibov, is expanding its activities. This time, the company “Faroz” received 5 hectares of land for the construction of the construction materials’ market in the capital.
This happens despite the fact that in September 2019 the company announced voluntary self-liquidation. However, already in November, the Tajik government allocated to “Faroz” the land in Rudaki region adjacent to Dushanbe for the construction of a car terminal. Earlier, in August, the government ordered to seize 14 hectares of land from dekhkan farms in favor of “Faroz” to build international automobile terminals in cities Penjikent, Isfara and Matchinsky district.
The infamous son-in-law of the President of Tajikistan, Shamsullo Sokhibov, systematically appears on the front pages of Tajik newspapers. The company “Faroz”, that belongs to him, strengthens its influence in the country every year, capturing new areas of activity, while wiping out its competitors with the help of the state system.
The latest scandal was associated with the medicinal plant Ferula. The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan wanted to do the processing of its resin. However, the State Committee for Environmental Protection rejected this application, recommending that the Ministry of Health conclude an agreement with the company “Faroz”, which has a license to collect Ferula.
In addition, the company “Faroz” established a monopoly on obtaining a driver’s license, creating some driving schools throughout the country, and has a dominant position in the country for the supply and sale of petroleum products. The following fields of activity are listed on the official website of the company “Faroz”: banking, mining, healthcare, education, trade, printing industry, transport communications, tourism, manufacturing and construction. It is noteworthy that the company does not provide any information on these types of activities. Materials are regularly appearing in the media about dissatisfaction of Tajik citizens with the “Faroz” activity, which, having established a monopoly, regularly raises prices for its services.
The co-owner of the company “Faroz” was the late Umarali Kuvvatov, whom the president’s son-in-law completely ousted from business. As a result, Kuvvatov left Tajikistan, created the opposition movement “Group 24” and began to criticize the President by publishing revealing materials. In 2015, Umarali Kuvvatov was killed in Istanbul, and his organization in Tajikistan was declared as banned. Some members of the “Group of 24” are in prison, others are in Europe and regularly organize various protests against the authorities of Tajikistan.
In August 2019, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon awarded his son-in-law with the Order of Glory of the second degree.
