Media has exposed a significant corruption instance in Tajikistan associated with Dubai, a favored hub for affluent individuals and corrupt figures globally seeking to launder illicit funds.

The case revolves around the acquisition of luxurious properties in Dubai by the wife of Tajikistan’s Prime Minister, despite lacking any discernible income she and her husband are barred from engaging in commercial ventures.

Ikhbolkhon Nazirova possesses multiple properties within Tajikistan and has invested approximately $1.4 million in real estate ventures in Dubai.

As is the case in many authoritarian states in Central Asia, the source of the couple’s wealth is a mystery. There is no free media inside Tajikistan, where President Emomali Rakhmonon has spent the past three decades silencing critics and concentrating power.

However, OCCRP and Azda TV, an exiled online media outlet, managed to access Tajik records that show Nazirova possessed four apartments and a hotel in Sughd, the province where her husband once served as governor. She also owns a house in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

Leaked real estate data shows that Nazirova also bought two villas in Dubai, the Gulf city of the UAE.

There is no indication that Nazirova ever held a well-paying job or owned a profitable business. Her husband, Kokhir Rasulzoda, has been a public servant for 24 years, meaning he is prohibited under Tajik law from doing business.

Even in his latest position as prime minister, Rasulzoda receives only a modest official salary, according to Edward Lemon, president of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank OXOS, which focuses on Central Asia.

Although Prime Minister Rasulzoda’s role is “mostly symbolic,” according to Limon, it indicates that the couple has strong ties to the regime, which he characterized as “mugglelike.”

“He had a diverse government portfolio and didn’t appear to have significant personal ambitions for advancing within Tajikistan’s authoritarian political system,” Lemon said.

 “I believe these factors contributed to his selection as prime minister,” he added.

Leaked real estate data from the Dubai Unlocked project shows that Nazirova purchased two villas located just 200 meters apart in Mira Oasis III, a gated community in the emirate featuring an amphitheater, Dog Park, swimming pools, and a volleyball court.

The value of one of the two villas is estimated at approximately $738,000, while the other will be sold for approximately $700,000. The purchase papers list Nezerova’s daughter’s phone number as a contact.

According to leaked data, Nazirova’s daughter, Varangiz Azimova, also owns property in Dubai. In 2011, at the age of 24, she bought a villa in a gated community known as The Meadows. The property is now valued at approximately $5.4 million.