“We believed the advertisement, but there is neither a roof nor walls...”
Citizens note that they were primarily attracted by the brand's attractive advertisements and promises. People handed over their accumulated savings in cash and through banks, planning to move into ready apartments by the end of 2024.
“We signed the contract in November 2022 and paid 226 million soms. They were supposed to hand over the house in December 2024. Here is the current situation: there are no walls, no roof. When we call, they postponed it with various excuses,” — says one of the victims.
Especially deep is the heartache of citizens who live in rented apartments, took out loans from three banks to invest in housing, and even lost their health. Many claim that they only received a receipt (incoming order) for their payment and no checks were issued.
One apartment was sold to multiple people
During the inquiries and investigation, another suspicious and illegal circumstance came to light. Some apartments were sold not to one, but to multiple citizens.
“I made a 100 percent payment and checked that my contract was officially registered in the database. But when I went to the site, another woman also claimed that this exact apartment belonged to her. After we clarified the situation, the officials admitted that this apartment had also been sold to other individuals on the street at the same time through verbal and informal agreements,” — says one of the affected buyers.
One of the most suspicious aspects of the situation is the chronology of the documents:
Start of construction: “Original Lux” LLC started work at the site and opened sales departments in 2022.
Official permit: The project was officially permitted by the Ministry of Construction and the inspection only in June 2024. (Meaning that illegal construction and promotion were carried out for 2 years).
Bank loan and pledge: Shortly after the official permit was granted, the company officials pledged this under-construction property to Poytaxt Bank, securing a 25 billion som loan (and another 20 billion som loan from another bank).
Today, citizens are seriously concerned that loan payments have stopped and there is a risk that the bank will become the owner of the building. Bank representatives, however, emphasize that the pledge was legally formalized through a notary and that existing procedures were followed when issuing the loan.
Reaction of the khokimiyat and officials and positive changes within a week
Disgruntled citizens gathered first in front of the Sergeli district khokimiyat, and then the Tashkent city khokimiyat building. After the appeal of the citizens who waited for hours in the scorching heat, a special working group was formed upon the direct instruction of Tashkent City Khokim Shavkat Umurzakov.
The meeting held at the Public Reception Office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan was attended by the Advisor to the Tashkent City Khokim, Sergeli District Khokim Davron Ismatov, district prosecutor, representatives of the Construction Inspection (GASN), and Poytaxt Bank.
At the meeting, it was announced that one of the main founders, Sherzod Qurbonov, had fled abroad, and a criminal case had been opened against several other suspects with a precautionary measure of detention, and investigation work is being continued by the General Prosecutor's Office. Nevertheless, the current management and investors promised not to stop construction, but to complete the first 5 entrances (from entrance 8 to entrance 13) and hand them over to citizens by the end of 2024. While the quality of the process is monitored by the Construction Inspection for compliance with the contract, the process is under strict control by the district prosecutor's office and the Sergeli district khokimiyat.
A week after the formation of the working group, noticeable and positive changes took place at the site:
Before special supervision was established, only 8-10 workers were barely working at the site under compulsion.
Following the direct intervention of the management and officials, new forces were attracted to the construction site day by day.
A week later, at the next meeting and inspection process held on August 13, over 100 homeowners visited the site and witnessed with their own eyes: currently, over 120 masters and workers are working intensively at the construction site.
Conclusion and expected outcome
Hundreds of families, pensioners, and sick people had been left stranded in the streets as a result of the irresponsibility of former builders, uncontrolled illegal construction, and the bank pledge mess.
However, due to the serious undertaking of work by the city and district khokimiyats, the prosecutor's office, and relevant organizations, and the establishment of daily supervision, the pace of construction has increased dramatically. Currently, more than 600 victimized citizens are asking the General Prosecutor's Office and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan to keep these investigation and construction processes under strict control until the end and to provide practical assistance in timely handing over their homes built with funds earned by the sweat of their brows. We will continue to follow the turn of events.
Prepared by Muhammad Ali Qozogov
