The key facts
- Olimov claims he was kidnapped in Paris on June 24, 2025; according to him, five suspects are in custody and two under judicial supervision
- In September Uzbekistan put him on a wanted list in a kidnapping case; the Interpol red notice later disappeared from the organization's website
- Olimov owns 49.4% of Anorbank; the bank and the Central Bank say the situation does not affect the bank's operations
Olimov's statement
On October 16, the French law firm FEDIDA ASSOCIES issued a statement on behalf of Kahramonjon Olimov, a shareholder of Anorbank. He said that over the past 18 months he and his family had been subjected, in his view, to criminal and unlawful attacks, and stated that he was publishing the statement to refute false information. According to him, on June 24, 2025 he was kidnapped in Paris, held and tortured for two days and forced to pay a ransom for his release.
The course of the investigation in France
Olimov said that after an investigation by the French police, five people were detained and are in custody pending trial, and two more are under judicial supervision; according to him, the French judicial authorities are preparing a criminal case, and all requests for release on bail have been rejected. Gazeta and Spot note that there is no independent confirmation of the procedural status of all seven individuals mentioned in the statement.
Interpol manhunt and Olimov's position
Olimov commented on the Interpol red notice that appeared in September, issued at Uzbekistan's request on kidnapping charges. “The latest provocation was the absurd publication, at Uzbekistan's request, of an Interpol red notice accusing me of kidnapping, whereas I myself am the victim of a kidnapping,” he said. According to him, the notice has already been removed from the Interpol website, he rejects the charges as fabricated and is contesting them in court. He expressed confidence in the judicial systems of France and Uzbekistan and said that the actions of those involved damage Uzbekistan's reputation and contradict the vision of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Spot notes that a red notice is not an international arrest warrant.
Background and contradictions in the accounts
In September, The Insider reported that a criminal kidnapping case had been opened against Olimov in Uzbekistan, that he had been arrested in absentia and placed on an international wanted list. According to the outlet's source, the case may be connected with a long-standing financial conflict with Kapitalbank founder Batyr Rakhimov, for whom Olimov previously worked and in whom he held a stake of over 36%. In September, a red notice did indeed appear on the Interpol website, but the basis for the manhunt was not indicated in the card; in mid-October the card disappeared from the open database. In July 2025, Le Monde reported Olimov's kidnapping in France, and in November The Insider and L'Express questioned certain circumstances of his account, pointing out inconsistencies.
The situation around Anorbank
After reports of the manhunt, Anorbank stated that the situation concerns the personal circumstances of an individual shareholder and is not related to the capital, management or operations of the bank, which continues to operate normally. On October 9, the bank said that Olimov had submitted a resignation from the supervisory board on October 2; the matter is to be considered at a general meeting of shareholders on October 28. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan said that the circumstances surrounding the shareholder do not directly affect the bank's financial stability and operations; according to the regulator, as of September 1 the bank's assets amounted to 21.4 trillion soums, and the regulatory capital adequacy ratio was 13% against a minimum requirement of 12%. According to open data, Olimov owns 49.4% of the bank's shares, 50% belong to the Dutch Bekamin B.V. (Olimov transferred the controlling stake to the company in December 2025, reducing his stake from 99.4%), and 0.6% belongs to the insurance company Kapital Sug'urta.
