Abbas Ebrahimzada, a prominent Afghan businessman and former deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s House of Representatives, has been imprisoned in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the past week. Ebrahimzada, who owns the Ibrahimzada Group of Companies, has invested over $50 million in Uzbekistan over the last four years.
Sources close to Ebrahimzada told Independent Persian that he was arrested on Wednesday, September 24, following multiple complaints filed by Afghan “business rivals.” Despite posting a bail of $350,000 to the Tashkent police, he remains in custody. Three Afghan businessmen residing in Tashkent, who spoke to Independent Persian on condition of anonymity, confirmed Ebrahimzada’s arrest and said that despite efforts to secure his release, Uzbek police and judicial authorities have refused to free him. Ebrahimzada served two terms as a representative for Balkh province in Afghanistan’s parliament and was deputy speaker for a period.
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| Abbas Ebrahimzada |
He has invested tens of millions of dollars in real estate, oil, manufacturing, private schools, universities, and hospitals in northern Afghanistan. In 2020, he founded the New Islamic Party of Afghanistan and served as its secretary-general. After the fall of the Afghan republic and the Taliban’s return to power, Ebrahimzada first moved to Turkey and later settled in Uzbekistan to manage his business ventures. A source close to Ebrahimzada said he has invested more than $50 million in Uzbekistan in sectors such as commercial transportation and flour production. His imprisonment over a legal dispute has raised concerns about disruptions to his business operations.
According to the source, around 400 people—both Afghans and Uzbeks—are employed by Ebrahimzada’s companies. The source expressed concern over his continued detention, noting that the $350,000 bail was deposited into the Uzbek Ministry of Interior’s bank account, yet Ebrahimzada has not been released. Documents shared with Independent Persian indicate that Ebrahimzada’s arrest is linked to a legal case involving a shipment of rebar valued at 1.5 million Afghanis. The shipment was jointly exported from Iran to Uzbekistan by Ebrahimzada and his business partner Hamidullah Rafiee, but a dispute over the sale and proceeds of the shipment led to legal action. Ebrahimzada’s associates are urging Uzbek authorities to handle the case carefully and based on evidence, and to release him as per the bail conditions.
They fear that his continued detention could open the door for interference by his business and political rivals, potentially causing financial harm to his companies. In November 2023, Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree ordering the seizure of 19 businesses and properties belonging to Ebrahimzada, most of which are located in Balkh province. At the time, Ebrahimzada told Independent Persian that a group of Taliban-linked businessmen were fabricating cases against him in an attempt to seize his assets in Afghanistan.
Although there is no confirmed evidence of Taliban involvement in Ebrahimzada’s arrest in Uzbekistan, his continued detention despite posting bail has heightened concerns among his family and associates about possible interference by the Taliban in the case.
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