Khokim of the city of Tashkent Jahongir Artikkhodjayev answered the questions of journalists about his relations with companies working on the Tashkent City project, Kun.uz correspondent reports.
Earlier, OpenDemocracy reported that the website of the company Dream City Development, which is engaged in selling apartments in two residential complexes of Tashkent City, is registered under the enterprise J-United. This legal entity, according to the authors of the investigation, belongs to Artikkhodjayev.
The company Akfa Dream World is also among the investors of Tashkent City, it is building a congress center with a five-star hotel. Researchers found a link to this object on the website of the Dream City Development.
The capital's governor commented on these statements.
“Akfa is a 20-year-old company. I created this company. I have never even dreamed that I would become a khokim one day. I was informed about my appointment 30 minutes before the announcement. After I became a khokim, the president ordered me to transfer the company to other managers. But there was no talk about shares. If I became a khokim, should I transfer shares to another person? Or if I would have Apple shares, why should I sell them?” the khokim noted.
An American lawyer and anti-corruption expert Richard Messick, who studied the information provided by the OpenDemocracy, said that if the documents are genuine, they record a conflict of interest in one of its most blatant forms — transactions for mercenary purposes, when a civil servant gives a governmental order related to his company.
“The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution in 1992 prohibiting officials from engaging in business activities. The government should immediately start investigating whether this ruling was not violated in this case, and also adopt a comprehensive law on conflict of interest in an expedited manner,” the American lawyer said.
In turn, Artykkhodjaev said that Akfa is a big company.
“The company cannot stand aside with such development. It has its own financial and economic opportunities. The president proposed to build a congress hall and hotel. Akfa Dream World has become a contractor, but when the buildings are ready, they will be transferred to the state. They will not be sources of income for the company,” Mr. Artikkhodjayev.
In general, Jakhongir Artykkhodjaev confirms that he does not manage these companies, but he has his share in them.
