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Business partners
Zayni Eshonqulov, who lived in Tashkent, was engaged in shoe sales. He sold footwear at the Eshonguzar market in the capital. Shohnur Khalilov from Margilan was Zayni Eshonqulov's business partner.
They had collaborated once. That is, Shohnur Khalilov, who was a dealer for a shoe manufacturing company in Margilan, had given Zayni Eshonqulov a shipment worth 50 million soums. However, Eshonqulov was unable to sell all of this merchandise during the summer season and ended up owing Khalilov 17 million soums. The seller was unable to return this money to the dealer for a certain period. Everything started from there.
The 100 thousand dollar plan
During those days when there was a 17 million soum “give-and-take” between the business partners, Shohnur Khalilov contacted Zayni Eshonqulov and invited him to Margilan. “I have taken the dealership of two companies. If you come, I will get you goods from these companies,” he said and sent a location via Telegram.
Believing his words, the shoe seller set off for Margilan on April 22, 2024, with his father and spouse. Khalilov met him by the main ring road in Margilan and took him in his car.
“Now we are going to the office. A friend of mine from Shohimardon has come. He went to Russia and made a lot of money. I will borrow money from him, and we will do business together. I will tell my friend that you borrowed 100 thousand dollars for business from me and ask when you will return it. My friend has a lot of money, and I will say this to convince him for cooperation,” Khalilov requested Zayni Eshonqulov on the way.
The shoe seller, trusting his words, agreed to this even though he did not owe 100 thousand dollars.
Who is the “money man” from Shohimardon?
The person Khalilov mentioned to his business partner was Nozim Qodirov. However, he was not a wealthy person who had earned a large amount of money from Russia; he was simply someone who had fallen into Khalilov's trap. That is, Khalilov had taken 12 thousand dollars from Nozim Qodirov on the condition of doing business and sharing profits every month, but he had not returned the main part of the debt.
When Nozim Qodirov went to ask for his money, Shohnur Khalilov told him that someone owed him 100 thousand dollars and that he would return his money once he received it. Ten days later, Khalilov told Qodirov that he needed to meet with someone.
“That person owes me 100 thousand dollars, but I didn’t get a written acknowledgment when I gave it. You will present yourself as someone who has 200 thousand dollars in front of him, and we will record it on video,” said Khalilov. Nozim Qodirov agreed, thinking he would get his money back from the person Khalilov mentioned.
Thus, Shohnur Khalilov deceived both parties.
Meeting at the office
On April 22, 2024, Shohnur Khalilov called Nozim Qodirov and told him that “the person who owes 100 thousand dollars” was coming and invited him to the office. He was referring to the shoe seller Zayni Eshonqulov.
Thus, all three met at Khalilov's office. During the process, Nozim Qodirov played the role of a wealthy person, while Zayni Eshonqulov played the role of someone who owed 100 thousand dollars.
“What kind of business project is there, let me know, we have money,” Khalilov said, pointing to Nozim Qodirov. Then, during the conversation, he asked Eshonqulov when he would return the 100 thousand dollars he owed. In response, Zayni Eshonqulov said he would return 50 thousand dollars the next day and the rest in five days. Shohnur Khalilov recorded this conversation on his phone.
The “lie that became truth”
After the meeting at the office, Zayni Eshonqulov returned to Tashkent. A few days later, Shohnur Khalilov told him in a phone conversation that his wealthy acquaintance would not invest in their business.
On May 8, 2024, Khalilov's brother A. Komilov called the shoe seller and asked why he was not returning the 100 thousand dollars he owed. Shocked by this statement, Zayni Eshonqulov informed Khalilov that he did not owe 100 thousand dollars but rather 17 million 46 thousand soums.
After that, Khalilov began calling Eshonqulov, asking him to return the 100 thousand dollars he owed.
After a certain period, Shohnur Khalilov filed a complaint against Zayni Eshonqulov with the police. A video recorded in the office was presented as evidence. Additionally, at his request, Nozim Qodirov also gave false testimony during the investigation.
Thus, the Margilan city police opened a criminal case against Zayni Eshonqulov for fraud, and he was taken into custody as a precautionary measure. The investigation was conducted unilaterally, and the shoe seller spent 40 days in jail.
Arrest of the investigator during an operation
Meanwhile, the investigation of this “case” was transferred to the Fergana district police, and everything changed direction. That is, Zayni Eshonqulov, who had been in custody for 40 days, was released, and a criminal case was initiated against Shohnur Khalilov, who was taken into custody as a precautionary measure.
At that time, A. Murtazaqulov, who was the head of the investigation department of the Margilan city police, said that there were not enough grounds to accuse Zayni Eshonqulov and asked Khalilov for 30 thousand dollars, and he was arrested during the operation. This was mentioned in the court ruling and in Shohnur Khalilov's testimony.
“The head of the investigation department of the Margilan city police, A. Murtazaqulov, called me and said that since the evidence was not confirmed and there were not enough grounds to accuse Z. Eshonqulov, I should give him 30 thousand dollars, and then the criminal case would go to court, and he would not keep any of that money for himself. After that, I talked to my acquaintances and realized that A. Murtazaqulov's actions were illegal. In November 2024, I filed a complaint against him with the DXX.
An operation was conducted against A. Murtazaqulov. During the operation, I called A. Murtazaqulov to my office and gave him 500 dollars. A. Murtazaqulov was arrested, and he lost his job. After this incident, the details of the criminal case changed direction, and because I had provided information about A. Murtazaqulov, the investigation agency released Z. Eshonqulov from custody and announced unjust accusations against me,” Shohnur Khalilov stated in his testimony.
The truth that emerged
Shohnur Khalilov had even managed to mislead the investigators with his “game” and the fabricated evidence he created. However, the outcome was not as he had hoped. The truth prevailed.
Khalilov stated in his testimony during the investigation that Zayni Eshonqulov came alone to his office in Margilan in mid-November 2023 in a Gentra car and took 100 thousand dollars from him. Zayni Eshonqulov, on the other hand, stated that he had not been to Margilan at all in 2023, and therefore when he came on April 22, 2024, Khalilov had sent him a location. Khalilov's lie was refuted by the details and call logs of the phone number belonging to Zayni Eshonqulov.
Furthermore, in court, Nozim Qodirov admitted that he had played the role of a wealthy person at Khalilov's request and had also given false testimony during the investigation.
Another witness, O. Obidov, also stated that due to Khalilov's request, he had initially given false testimony during the investigation, claiming that he had seen Zayni Eshonqulov taking something out of Khalilov's office in a black plastic bag, but in reality, he did not know him.
Shohnur Khalilov did not admit his guilt in court. He stated that he did not defame Zayni Eshonqulov, that he indeed had a right to 100 thousand dollars, which he had earned over the years, and requested an acquittal.
However, his guilt was considered proven based on the testimonies of the victim and witnesses, confrontation protocols, the details and call logs of the phone numbers belonging to Eshonqulov, and other evidence.
Shohnur Khalilov did not admit his guilt in court, and the unjust accusations against him were refuted by the evidence that the investigation agency had released Eshonqulov from custody and had wrongfully detained him due to the operation against A. Murtazaqulov, the head of the investigation department of the Margilan city police.
Punishment
By the court's ruling, Shohnur Khalilov was found guilty of committing crimes under paragraphs “a, b, g” of part 3 of Article 139 of the Criminal Code (defamation with malicious intent or other low motives while accusing someone of committing a serious or extremely serious crime, causing serious consequences) and paragraphs “a, g” of part 2 of Article 237 (giving false information while accusing someone of committing a serious or extremely serious crime by creating artificial evidence). He was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment by partially combining the penalties assigned for each article.
Additionally, it was ordered that Shohnur Khalilov pay 50 million soums in moral damages to the victim Zayni Eshonqulov.
Ruslan Saburov,
Prepared based on court materials.
Prepared based on court materials.
Source: Kun.uz
