The dollar exchange rate continues to drop down in Turkmenistan.
This happened after Chairperson of Turkmenistan’s State Economic Crime Enforcement Agency Maksat Khudaikuliev had briefed President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov on the arrest of individuals involved in illegal foreign currency transactions in the course of the Cabinet session held on 5 July.
Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that the dollars are currently bought at 14,4 manats at Ashgabat “black market” and sold at 15,4 manats whereas in Dashoguz at 14,2 and 15 manats respectively.
On 9 July Radio “Azatlyk” reported that amidst the arrest of officials, the raids to fight selling merchandise for dollars and to combat illicit money trafficking have been held. “At the Ashgabat market “Chandybil” and other places raids were carried out and in some cases some personal search of selec residents were performed”,— the source of the Radio said on 7 July.
At the markets “Mir” and “Russian bazaar” all vendors were forced to sign acknowledgements in two copies. One of them is kept in the administrative office of the market with the following wording: “If I sell merchandise for dollars I give my consent to be convicted of a criminal offence”.
The vendors have also been warned that if they are detained for selling goods for dollars, their merchandise will be confiscated and their points of sale will be closed.
According to sources of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, foreign currency speculators in the provinces are also being persecuted.
Let us recall that in early July the dollar exchange rate in Ashgabat was recorded at 17,5 manats. In Dashoguz it fluctuated between 17,8 and 18,2 manats per $1.