DUSHANBE, April 13, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Upon recommendations of the Prosecutor-General, members of the Norak city legislature (Majlis) have adopted the decision regarding the repeal of inviolability of its member Mahmadullo Qurbonov, ex-director of the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS), the First deputy Prosecutor-General, Abdusami Dadaboyev, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe today.

According to him, Mahmadullo Qurbonov and his deputy Mahmadali Halimov are suspected of having embezzled 1,282,700 somoni (equivalent to some 380,000 US dollars) of state funds.

“Investigation carried out by the anticorruption agency has established that acting in collusion with top managers of the limited liability company Nourafzo-2005, Qurbonov and Halimov in January 2006 forged documents for purchase of 580,000 somoni worth of spare parts for the station,” said the deputy chief prosecutor, "In the same way, they prepared forged documents for 702,700 somoni in collusion with managers of the limited liability company “Komron-Sh.”

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against Mahmadullo Qurbonov and Mahmadali Halimov under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – Article 245, Part 4 (embezzlement or misappropriation of state funds) and Article 323 (official forgery).

As it had been reported earlier, by president’s decree Mahmadullo Qurbonov was relieved of his post of director of the Norak HPS on September 13, 2008.