|
S E C R E T TASHKENT 000465 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, INR E.O.
12958: DECL: 03/09/2016 TAGS: KCRM, PGOV, PINR, PREL, UZ
SUBJECT: (S) VIDEO SHOWS MAFIA TIES TO GOU REF: A) 05 TASHKENT
2378 B) 98 TASHKENT 1097 C) 05 TASHKENT 3415 Classified By: AMB.
JON R. PURNELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 1. (S) Summary: Video
footage obtained by Post suggests close ties between families of
senior GOU officials and organized crime. The footage shows the
wives of four top GOU Ministers and two Deputy Prime Ministers,
with the family of Tashkent crime boss Salim Abduvaliyev and the
wife of a foreign-based Uzbek business tycoon. End summary. 2.
(S) Post has obtained video footage of two events hosted by the
family of Tashkent mafia chieftain Salim Abduvaliyev. (Note:
Salim and his rival, Gafur Rakhimov, are Uzbekistan's top
mobsters - refs A and B. End note.) XXXXX Salim's wife and the
wives of the GOU Ministers form a tight circle of friends. XXXX
ENGAGEMENT PARTY FOR SALIM,S SON ATTRACTS GOU ELITE
--------------------------------------------- ------ 3. (S) The
engagement party for Salim,s son, Sardor, was held in July 2005
at Salim,s mansion in Gazelkent near Tashkent. Following
tradition, only women attended the engagement party. The
close-knit group of around twenty guests included the wives of
Interior Minister Matlybov, Justice Minister Mustafayev, Finance
Minister Azimov, and Foreign Minister Ganiev, as well as Deputy
Prime Minister Kasimov's sister. Salim,s daughters also
attended, along with the wives of leading businessmen Muhiddin
Jamol, "UzbekSavdo" chairman Zafar Faiyziev, and "UzbekComuneHizmet"
General Director Halmukhamedov. 4. (S) According to our contact,
Salim did not attend the party, but provided each guest with a
necklace worth $1,000. Jamol, a close friend of Salim's whose
Alp Jamol conglomerate includes banks, supermarkets and shopping
centers (ref C), was tasked with keeping the guests happy. The
video shows Jamol handing out $100 bills to the guests as they
dance. (Note: It is common in Uzbek culture for money to be
given to women as they dance, and also to musicians. End note.)
Video footage of the party also shows Salim,s fleet of black
Mercedes-Benz cars.
5. (S) Our contact told Poloff that Salim's Gazelkent home was
decorated by a Versace representative flown in for the job.
Photos of Salim,s house reportedly appeared last year in the
Russian magazine "Vysshee Obshchestvo" ("High Society"). (Note:
Photos of Sardor's eventual wedding were published on a Russian
website, www.elite.ru. End note.) According to our contact,
Salim has now built another "palace," which will be his
preferred dacha, while the Gazelkent estate will reportedly be
used by his wife, lovers, and daughters.
SALIM,S WIFE SHAHLO,S BIRTHDAY ------------------------------ 6. (S)
The birthday party for Salim,s wife, Shahlo, took place at a
Tashkent restaurant in summer 2005. In addition to Salim,s
daughter and son, guests at the birthday included former Foreign
Minister Mahmudova and the wives of Foreign Minister Ganiev and
Deputy Prime Minister Sultanov. The wives of "UzbekComuneHizmet"
General Director Halmukhamedov and foreign-based oligarch Fatokh
Shodiyev also attended, along with famous singer Yulduz Usmanova.
According to the contact, most guests gave Shahlo $3,000 in
cash, while Shodiyev's wife gave $10,000. (Note: Shodiyev
reportedly left Uzbekistan in 1994 after making a fortune in the
cotton business, and is now living in Kazakhstan and Belgium. He
holds a senior position in the Eurasian Industrial Association
and is rumored to be an adviser to President Nazarbayev. End
note.) PURNELL
|
