In Turkmenistan, President’s relatives received $1.5 billion construction contract
On February 3, the President held a meeting with regional leaders, during which the President’s son, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, reported on the construction progress of the capital of Akhal oblast, which he himself leads. During the meeting, the President ordered the allocation of almost $1.5 billion to the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET) for the construction of a new city.
The preparations for the construction of the new capital of the region were announced in October 2018, and on April 10, 2019, the President Berdymukhamedov took part in laying the foundation of the administrative center. Despite the economic crisis that has lasted since 2016, the UIET has received and continues to receive multi-billion dollar contracts from the state, which are fully controlled by the President and his family.
Recall that in the recent past, the UIET received a contract for the construction of an autobahn in the amount of $2.3 billion. In both cases, “Nusai Yollary”, the company owned by the brother-in-law of the President Berdymukhamedov, Annanazar Redjepov, is involved in the construction.
The company “Nusai Yollary” is a co-owner of the supermarkets “Ak Market” and “Kamil Market”, as well as “Hyzmatdashlary” JSC, the factory “Camilligin Gozbashi” and the agricultural enterprise “Daikhan Sarpasy”. At the same time, this company is related to a number of foreign companies registered in the UK, Turkey and several other offshore companies.
In the construction of the administrative center of Akhal region, the firm of the President’s brother-in-law received contracts for the construction of two seven-story residential buildings, an oncology center, an ambulance station, a medical and preventive center for maternal and child health. Contracts were received without a tender.
Some entrepreneurs have already expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that 30% of the allocated money will immediately settle in the President’s personal accounts in foreign offshore companies, and half of the funds will be in the hands of relatives of Berdymukhamedov and his friends from UIET, and only the rest will go to construction. Construction projects must be completed by the end of 2022.
