DUSHANBE, October 14, 2015, Asia-Plus /Avaz Yuldoshev/ – Head of Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) Fononbank, Samikhon Qurbonov, who was detained last week on suspicion of having links to the armed group of the mutinous deputy defense minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda (Hoji Halim) and the banned Islamic Revival Party (IRP), has been released.

“Samikhon Qurbonov was released after appropriate questioning,” an official source at the Tajik law enforcement authorities told Asia-Plus Wednesday (October 14) afternoon.

According to him, accountant and teller of Fononbank are still in custody.

Samikhon Qurbonov is an immediate relative of the first deputy head of the Islamic Revival Party Saidumar Husiani, who was arrested together with 12 other leading members of the IRP on September 16 on suspicion of being directly involved into the mutiny''s masterminding.

IRP leader Muhiddin Kabiri remains in self-imposed exile outside Tajikistan. 

We will recall that the Supreme Court ruled on September 29 that that the Islamic Revival Party was an “extremist and terrorist organization” and banned it.

The Prosecutor-General''s Office said on October 6 that criminal probes are under way against the party officials who face charges of terrorism, inciting religious and racial enmity, and attempting to seize power by force.

Meanwhile, by the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) order an interim administration was introduced at Fononbank on October 5.

According to Tajik central bank, the interim administration was introduced at Fononbank for the purpose of improvement of the financial situation of that commercial bank and protection of interests of its depositors and creditors.

The interim administration was reportedly introduced for the period of three months and the interim administration members include skilled specialists of the NBT.

Fononbank was established in the early 1990s as the Tajik branch of the Fonon Bank of the former Soviet Union.  Later this branch was reorganized into commercial bank Fonon that had worked till 2000.  In 2000, the bank was reorganized into non-banking credit organization Fonon with authorized capital stock of 100,000 US dollars.  In May 2007, as complying with the National Bank of Tajikistan’s minimum capital requirements, which was revised upwards to US$5 million, the non-banking credit organization Fonon was reorganized into a closed joint-stock commercial bank Fononbank.

Headquartered in Dushanbe, Fononbank has fourteen branches across the country.  The bank is licensed to offer all types of banking transactions.