National Agency for Prospective Projects files police complaint against economist over criticism of Temu ban

According to Bakirov, the complaint was signed by the agency’s First Deputy Director Vyacheslav Pak, and it includes an explanatory note from the agency's authorized representative. The complaint is currently being reviewed by the Cybersecurity Division of the Tashkent police.

"Yesterday evening, I was summoned and provided my preliminary explanations in written and verbal form during an inquiry (I haven’t yet been given copies of the case documents)," the economist said.

In the disputed post, Bakirov criticized the agency for having effectively become the regulator of insurance, capital, crypto-assets, and e-commerce in Uzbekistan — despite the lack of any legal framework to govern or restrain its actions. He argued that no laws currently exist to regulate or prevent conflicts of interest within the agency’s operations.

Bakirov noted that the complaint was related to one of four interconnected posts he had published on the issue. "The Illegal Super-Regulator post was the second in a series of four interlinked and complementary posts written on March 4, 2025 — the same day the decision to restrict Temu’s operations was announced. Yet, the complaint addresses only this single post and does not refer to the content, context, or reasons behind the others," he explained.

In a follow-up post, Bakirov reiterated the need for a special law to regulate the agency’s operations. He emphasized that no megaregulator in the world operates without a legal mandate or merely through executive orders.

"The World Bank, which has advised on many economic reforms in Uzbekistan, concluded that your activities must be regulated by a specific legal framework — not executive decisions. Without such a law, there can be no stable growth in the insurance, capital, crypto-asset, and e-commerce sectors under your control. Investors will stay away. Markets will remain monopolized and imbalanced. Powerful players will eliminate weaker ones through administrative means. Regulatory independence will not be achieved. Will the Agency accuse the World Bank of defamation and take them to court as well?" Bakirov questioned.

Background

On March 20, 2025, sanctions were imposed on Temu, a Chinese e-commerce platform known for supplying low-cost goods, and its website and mobile app were blocked in Uzbekistan. Citizens were advised not to place new orders on the platform and to seek refunds for undelivered goods.

NAPP stated that Temu must either open a local branch in Uzbekistan or register with the tax authorities and become a VAT payer. The company has since complied with one of the main requirements by establishing a legal entity in Uzbekistan. However, the State Tax Committee has imposed a tax liability of 46 billion UZS on Temu for operating unofficially in the country prior to its registration.