In Tashkent, a shop owner agreed to help the state and was harassed by the courts

On December 13, a video message from the head of the Ethno Line store, Nargiza Madjitova, circulated on social media, in which she spoke about abuse of office and harassment by a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to Madjitova, at the end of 2024, the first deputy chairman of the Uztextilegarment association, Mirmuhsin Sultanov, and his deputy, Abduvali Sadikov, expressed interest in placing products under the Made in Uzbekistan brand in her store at the Tashkent City Mall.

The parties concluded a sublease agreement for an area of 92 square meters, however, it was never fulfilled, and the rent was not paid.

It was from this moment that all my problems began. What do you think, how much does it cost to rent at Tashkent City Mall? Very many. How much did “light industry” pay me for this day? Zero. After signing the contract, all the leaders of the Light Industry Association, as well as the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Davron Vahabov, who was also the chairman of the Light Industry Association at the time, were present in my store. Later in court, his lawyer stated that Vahabov had no idea about this project and had never been to my store, and his first deputy Sultanov had no right to sign it, — she said.

However, the businesswoman shared a video from the store’s CCTV camera, which showed the CCI chairperson. Over the next three months, the businesswoman heard only promises from Uztekstilprom’s first deputy about the imminent arrival of funds, claiming the association was short of funds and awaiting funding.

At the end of March, Mirmukhsin Sultanov was appointed chairman of the association. According to Madjitova, it was during this period that she began receiving various obscene messages from Sultanov: “Instead of money, I receive explicit innuendos and obscenities”.

Nargiza Madjitova also stated that brands were invited to locate in the store through the association’s official Telegram channel, with the promise that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry would cover the rent and marketing costs. In practice, however, all expenses were borne by the store owner.

The debt case was heard in court. During the trial, the businesswoman presented documents confirming the validity of the agreement, that the brands were placed at the association’s initiative, and that the rental costs were to be covered by the organization.

Despite this, the court, applying Article 126 of the Civil Code (A transaction concluded in excess of limited powers may be declared invalid by an interested party only if it is proven that the other party knew or should have known of these restrictions), declared the contract invalid. According to her, lawyers consider such a decision unacceptable.

And that’s not all. Why am I telling you this? Because wherever I go, no one will take my case. The court rules in favor of those who are legally in the wrong. The business ombudsman says it’s not within his authority. And the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which should be defending me in this situation, is the very reason I’m here before you, — the businesswoman said.

She stressed that she was drawing attention to the situation “for the sake of every woman, for the sake of every entrepreneur who could be deceived”.

Where truth and the law should be on my side, all I hear is: You won’t succeed. Behind these officials are very high-ranking people, — says Madjitova.

Later, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported that an “open and constructive meeting” had been held with the Chamber’s leadership and the Uztekstilprom Association regarding the issue raised by Nargiza Madjitova. Following the discussions, a mediation agreement was reached and signed between the Uztekstilprom Association and Gravion.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this agreement provides a legal resolution to the issues. Following this, Nargiza Madzhitova published a new video, beginning with a thank you to everyone who supported her, noting that it gave her confidence in the ability of women in the country to fight for justice.

I was invited to a meeting with the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davron Vakhabov. For two hours, we sought the truth. And as it turned out, the truth was on our side. Today, we reached a preliminary agreement. Specifically, they withdraw all their previous claims raised in court, recognize the contract as completely legitimate, and pay it in full up to and including December 15th. They will compensate me for all the costs I incurred in court, — she said.

She added that she had learned the hard way, and until the money had arrived in the account, this was only a preliminary agreement. On Monday evening, Madzhitova announced in another video message that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry had fulfilled its agreement on time.

We won! And this is a shared victory for everyone who cared. I thank everyone for their support, and I will strive to support all women who are taking their first steps in business, — the entrepreneur said.

It was previously reported that two trillion soums would be allocated to support women entrepreneurs. Training courses will also be launched.