According to a report from the U.S. Ambassador Jon Purnell, a criminal boss or one of two main thugs of Uzbekistan, Salim Abduvaliyev, sells government jobs during his working hours and entertains government officials and their wives during his leisure time, an Uzbek website Uznews reported. New revelations by the website Wikileaks refer to one of the main figures of president Islam Karimov's regime. His close links to the underworld, cover all spheres of the government and even the department of staff. In a classified report by U.S. Ambassador Jon Purnell, sent on May 5, 2006, it is stated that Salim Abduvaliyev helps businessmen to secure GOU tenders and job applicants to "buy" government jobs.
"Crime boss Salim Abduvaliyev puts bidders for tenders in touch with an Iranian businessman holding British citizenship, who submits the paperwork to First Daughter Gulnora Karimova for approval", the report by the U.S. ambassador says. Purnell also reported that Salim works with the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and is responsible for personnel issues to arrange government jobs, agrees on a price and then adds his own fee before selling the position.
"Salim has reportedly sold a wide range of government positions, including regional Hokim, police chief, and Ministry of Internal Affairs jobs. A Presidential Adviser and a former Minister of the Interior also reportedly worked closely with Salim on job placement transactions", Jon Purnell wrote.
The reports by the American ambassador says that Salim often serves as a middleman in fixing GOU tenders and helps applicants to obtain government jobs. Foreign investors can "win" GOU tenders by arranging them through Salim, who charges a percentage of revenues as a fee.
Just as with the sale of government posts, the U.S. ambassador reports, foreign and other investors interested in GOU tenders, get in touch with an Iranian businessman holding the British citizenship. The Iranian prepares the paperwork and submits the tender to First Daughter Gulnora Karimova for approval.
Purnell said that former Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Dilbar Gulomova's son worked for this Iranian.
Among foreign companies, which "won" the tender in Uzbekistan, Purnell names Dutch Gemka, which invested in the construction of the railway in Bukhara. Salim's services cost $ 700,000.
Under the same conditions, according to the ambassador, works a Swiss/Israeli company engaged in water projects in the Tashkent region, and a Korean company providing computers to schools.
U.S. Ambassador Jon Purnell also describes the ugly system of selling government positions in Uzbekistan.
A man named "Abror hoja" brings job applicants to Salim who discusses the price and facilitates the transaction. The criminal boss works closely with Tursinkhan Hudaibergenov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for personnel issues, Purnell indicates.
Salim agrees on a price with Hudaibergenov, before adding his own fee, and sells the position at a higher price.
The Ambassador emphasizes that Salim closely cooperated in the past in such job purchase transactions with a State Adviser to the President, Ismail Jurabekov, and a former Minister of Interior Zokir Almatov.
But being a middleman in trading government positions, as the American ambassador writes, Salim does not always keep his word.
Thus, when Maksim Teshebaev, a former mayor of the Tashkent district Orta Chirchik, fell out of favor, his wife approached the Salim's wife asking for Salim's support.
For the right price, Salim promised that Teshebaev would be able to retain his job. According to the contact, Salim instructed Teshebaev to make a payment to his brother, Azamjon Abduvaliyev, in order to retain the job. But after the payment was made, Salim mocked at the amount of money Teshebaev offered, saying he "couldn't eat a meal" for that amount, Ambassador Purnell wrote in his report.
Jon Purnell concludes in his comments:
"Salim's role in securing GOU tenders and jobs sheds further light on the close connections between organized crime and the GOU. Corruption is rampant in the GOU.
Tenders and government positions can be fairly easily secured by paying the right amount of money to the appropriate individual, leading to a situation in which unqualified individuals have every incentive to engage in further corrupt activity to pay off the large debts they usually incur making down payments on the jobs".
No comments:
Post a Comment