DUSHANBE, July 17, 2013, Asia-Plus – Known Tajik businessman and former minister of industry, Zayd Saidov, has written a letter to President Emomali Rahmon from the pretrial detention center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), asking the president to release him in connection with deterioration of his health condition.

Zayd Saidov’s letter was released on July 16.  He writes that his gastric ulcer has become aggravated and asks the president to release him or to change the measure of restrain for him so that he could undergo medical treatment.

Saidov also notes that the trial and revealing all aspects of charges officially brought against him will undermine the country’s prestige.

He also writes that he doesn’t have an opportunity to meet with his lawyers.

On his intention to form a new political party, Zayd Saidov notes that he was not going to be in opposition to the government or a separate individual and did not plan to unite with any political party.

He also notes that since security services misunderstood his intention to form a new political party, he decided to suspend formation of the party on his arrival in Tajikistan.  “We together with head of SCNS’s office for Dushanbe informed the SCNS head of that from Germany,” Zayd Saidov notes in his letter.

“You are aware of my economic opportunities and have repeatedly stressed that I transferred my financial resources from other countries to our republic,” the letter says.

We will recall that Zayd Saidov, who is initiator of formation of a “New Tajikistan” party, now faces charges of large scale fraud, large-scale corruption and polygamy.  He is currently being held at the SCNS-run pretrial detention facility.

Zayd Saidov was detained on May 19 on charges of corruption.  He has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity.  On May 22, a court in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district issued the arrest warrant for Zayd Saidov.  He was ordered held in pretrial detention for up to two months.  The court also ruled that Zayd Saidov cannot be released on bail.

The authorities have sequestrated property of Zayd Saidov and his nearest relatives.  To-date, five cars belonging to Zayd Saidov and his sons as well as their houses have been sequestrated.  Working premises and building sites have also been sequestrated but later they have been released.

On June 17, the investigation into the case of Zayd Saidov was classified as “secret.

Saidov denies any wrongdoing and says his case is politically motivated.