Uzbek businessman and Anorbank shareholder Kakhramonjon Olimov said on Oct. 16 he was abducted and tortured in Paris and rejected kidnapping charges against him in Uzbekistan as fabricated.

In a statement distributed through French law firm FEDIDA ASSOCIES, Olimov said he was abducted on June 24, 2025, held for two days and forced to pay a ransom. “I was abducted in Paris on June 24, 2025,” he said.

He said five people were detained after a French police investigation and remain in custody pending trial, while two others are under judicial supervision. All bail applications have been rejected, he said. The statement offers no independent confirmation of the seven people’s current status.

Olimov also addressed an Interpol red notice that appeared in September and has since been removed from the organization’s website. “I categorically reject all these fabricated charges and am contesting them in court,” he said. He added that he fully trusts the French and Uzbek judicial systems.

Anorbank said the matter concerns a shareholder’s personal circumstances and does not affect its capital, management or operations. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan said it does not directly affect the bank’s financial stability. Olimov filed on Oct. 2 to leave the bank’s supervisory board, and shareholders are due to consider the matter on Oct. 28. He owns 49.4% of the bank.

In September, The Insider reported that Uzbekistan had opened a kidnapping case against Olimov, arrested him in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list. A source said it may be tied to a financial dispute with Batyr Rakhimov, founder of Kapitalbank, where Olimov previously worked and held more than 36%.

Le Monde reported in July 2025 that Olimov had been abducted in France. In November, The Insider and L’Express questioned parts of his account.