Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, reported on December 22 the government of Tajikistan has recently transferred thousands of hectares of prime land to a private company.  

Radio Ozodi says it obtained a copy of an official document signed by President Emomali Rahmon on November 29 that grants temporary ownership of the land to the Ismoili Somoni Holding Company.

RFE/RL notes that according to the government's business registry, the head of the holding company is Rahmatullo Asadulloyevich Sadulloyev.

Radio Ozodi has contacted the Tajik authorities for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The document reportedly doesn't explain why the government decided to give some 8,500 hectares of land, which includes pastures, forests, and plots in sought-after areas just outside Dushanbe, to a private company.   

The document reportedly states that the new owner will have full control of the land for the next 20 years.