The director of the State Assets Management Agency, Sohibjon Murodov, has rejected criticism that the UNG Petro filling station chain and the Chinaz oil refinery were privatized in secret, saying both were sold through direct negotiations involving international consultants.

"There was no secret privatization there," Murodov said in an interview with Daryo.

The assets were sold through direct negotiations rather than an open auction, and the outcomes were announced, he said. According to the interview, however, not every stage of the process was covered widely or consistently enough for the public. Murodov said a lack of information may have fueled criticism of the deals, which drew discussion on social media and in the press.

He said he looked into the deals after the fact, as he was not working at the agency, known as Davaktiv, at the time.

"If you look at the cases discussed on social media, it wasn't a secret privatization. It was done through direct dialogue, with international consultants involved, and the results were in fact announced," he said.

The agency concluded that it must keep the public informed about each stage of privatization, he said. Information is now published on Davaktiv's official website and social media pages, and a dedicated electronic platform has been developed to show which assets are for sale and how far their privatization has progressed.

In June 2023, it was reported that the privatization of the state's 100% stake in UNG Petro's charter capital had begun. A tender was announced to select a professional consulting company.