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ECONOMY LAW
Dozens of users of the “Khurshedi Kuhiston” lottery have been deceived in Tajikistan
One of the respondents to Radio Ozodi journalists believes that "the organizer is a person who has support, otherwise no one would have the courage to openly deceive citizens. If the authorities wanted to, they could find him within a day using his bank card and phone number, but not only do they not search for him, they also do not accept any complaints upon hearing the name 'Khurshedi Kuhiston.' Additionally, the article expressed the opinion that in a country where the majority are in need, it is easy to become a victim of fraud due to the high level of poverty and low level of literacy."
Throughout 2023, there was advertising for lottery tickets on social media and on the Telegram bot “Khurshedi Kuhiston,” with prizes including apartments, cars, and other valuable items, but the “winners” never received their winnings.
Journalists from Radio Ozodi conducted their investigation and found that the owners of this Facebook page “operated legally,” although they could not provide any evidence to the journalist. Additionally, the Radio Ozodi journalist could not find a company named “Khurshedi Kuhiston” on the Ministry of Finance’s website, in its registry of firms and companies that have received a license to conduct lotteries in Tajikistan.
In early February, a Radio Ozodi correspondent called the hotline of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan and the press center of this agency to inquire about their awareness of such a lottery; the agency promised to verify the information and report the results. However, later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs staff did not respond to calls from Radio Ozodi journalists.
It turned out that the lottery organizers sold 73,500 lottery tickets priced from 10 to 150 somoni, and now, after going bankrupt, they are trying to return the participants’ money, but they will not be able to pay out the winnings. The organizers claim that “the staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office are monitoring the transparency of the game” (Radio Ozodi).
One of the respondents to the Radio Ozodi journalists believes that “the organizer is a person who has support, otherwise no one would have the courage to openly deceive citizens. If the authorities wanted to, they could find him within a day using his bank card and phone number, but they not only do not search for him, but also do not accept any statements upon hearing the name ‘Khurshedi Kuhiston.’ Additionally, the article expressed the opinion that in a country where most people are in need, it is easy to become a victim of fraud due to the high level of poverty and low level of literacy.
