DUSHANBE, October 21, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Two lawyers – Buzurgmehr Yorov and Abduqayum Yusufov – have joined Ishoq Tabarov in defending the jailed Tajik tycoon Zayd Saidov.

“We have lodged appropriate applications two weeks ago we have already received authorization to represent Zayd Saidov,” Buzurgmehr Yorov told Asia-Plus in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

We will recall that two defense lawyers for Zayd Saidov – Fakhriddin Zokirov and Shuhrat Qudratov – have been arrested on the basis of suits lodged by the anticorruption agency.  Fakhriddin Zokirov was arrested for his alleged debts to a local bank and Shuhrat Qudratov faces charges of bribery, attempted crime and complicity in crime.

Zayd Saidov was sentenced to 26 years'' imprisonment on December 25, 2013 after being convicted of financial fraud, polygamy, and sexual relations with a minor.

Zayd Saidov maintains innocence and his supporters say the case against Zayd Saidov was politically motivated.

In July this year, the anticorruption agency brought new charges against Zayd Saidov – embezzlement or misappropriation of funds and forgery of documents.  Saidov reportedly committed these infringements during construction of the Dushanbe-Plaza Center.

According to Ishoq Tabarov, the anticorruption agency last week brought a number of new charges against his client.

“New charges were brought against Zayd Saidov from October 16 to October 18,” said the lawyer.  “New charges were brought against Zayd Saidov under the provisions of the following articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 340 (2) – document forgery; Article 314 (2) – abuse of office; Article 245 (4) – embezzlement; Article 362 (3) – illegal acts over property liable to arrest or confiscation; and Article 292 (2) – tax evasion.”