Imarat Development founder Marat Khamdamov detained in a criminal fraud case

Detention in a fraud case

Entrepreneur Marat Khamdamov, linked to construction projects under the Imarat Development brand, has been detained as part of a criminal case being investigated by the Tashkent Main Directorate of Internal Affairs. The capital's MIA directorate reported this to the outlets Gazeta.uzand UzNews.uz. According to the agency, two people — M. Kh. and Zh. A. — were detained under Article 227 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and Khamdamov was brought into the case as a suspect. Kun.uz also reported the detention, citing its own source. The identity of the second detainee has not been disclosed; it remains unclear whether charges have been brought and what preventive measure will be chosen.

What prompted the case

The criminal case against the management of Imarat Development LLC was opened on November 1 by the Investigative Directorate of the Tashkent MIA directorate under Articles 168 (fraud) and 192-11 (abuse of authority by officials of a non-governmental organization) of the Criminal Code. The basis was complaints from apartment buyers who expressed distrust of the developer. According to the MIA directorate, the company's office is located on Buyuk Avlod street in the Sergeli district of Tashkent, but the multi-story buildings the company presented to buyers as facilities in the capital are in fact located in the Kuyichirchik district of Tashkent Region. Buyers demanded that the contracts be terminated and their money returned, but, according to law enforcement, the funds were not returned to them. The number of victims and the preliminary damage amount have not been disclosed; the investigation has been placed under the oversight of the MIA directorate's leadership and the prosecutor's office.

Background of the conflict

Problems around the Imarat Development brand's projects were discussed long before the case was opened. In December 2025, Daryo published an investigation about buyers who could not receive their apartments or get their money back: one client said that in January 2024 he paid 100 million soums for an apartment in the Sergeli City project, and after visiting the site discovered that the facility was much farther away than promised — in Tashkent Region. In July 2025, the construction inspectorate found violations in five blocks of Sergeli City — work without the required registration, voids in concrete supports, water accumulation under the foundation, and the absence of the required drainage system; construction of these blocks was suspended. In late October 2026, Kun.uz again reported complaints about missed deadlines for handing over apartments.

Conflict between founders and the company's position

Amid the complaints, Khamdamov released video statements in which he spoke of a conflict with other founders: according to him, partners removed him from the Sergeli City and Bristol City projects, prevented him from visiting the office and construction sites, and threatened him and his family. He also said the company had been renamed Imtiyoz without his consent, and claimed that the company's chief financier Jasur Azizov planned to compensate for damage amounting to several million dollars using a bank loan. Olim Mamamatov, who introduced himself as the company's director, attributed the delays to disagreements among the founders and promised to hand over 16 of the 61 planned blocks of Sergeli City to buyers by January 2027. Daryo also notes that a criminal case was previously opened against officials of Perfect-Mansions LLC, owned by Khamdamov, over the Tuzel Park residential complex; that investigation was conducted by the Tashkent prosecutor's office.