Russell Bedford adds Tajikistan firm to Central Asian network

Online, April 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Just two months after the appointment of member firms in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, London-based accounting group Russell Bedford International has taken a further step in its expansion into Central Asia by adding a member firm in the Republic of Tajikistan.

Asian Business Group (ABG) is a multi-discipline professional services group comprising an audit practice, a finance and business consulting firm and a tax/legal services practice. The group was created in 2005 and is now one of the leading audit and consulting firms in Tajikistan.

The group specialises in various core areas of professional activity: audit and assurance; financial and accounting services; and legal and tax advisory services. For its client base, ABG focuses on large institutional and corporate entities in the energy, financial and telecommunications sectors, as well as international funding agencies such as the World Bank, IFC, ERBD and ADB.

With offices in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, the group is led by three partners.

Bakhtiyor Rustamov is the managing partner of the audit practice. He joined the firm as an auditor in 2008, having previously been chief accountant at a public organisation in Dushanbe. He is a Certified Accounting Practioner (CAP), a member of the Collegium of Auditors of Tajikistan and a member of the Public Institute of Professional Accountants & Auditors (PIPAA).

Firuz Bulbulov is an audit partner and head of the finance and business consulting firm. Having qualified as an economist and lawyer, he gained experience in management and accounting roles in industry and on aid-funded projects before founding ABG. As well as being a Certified International Professional Accountant (CIPA) and certified auditor, he is chairman of the Collegium of Auditors, a member of the PIPAA, and a member of the State Committee for the Implementation of International Accounting Standards and International Standards on Auditing in Tajikistan. He also has a Certificate in International Auditing from the ACCA, UK.

Davron Kurbonaliev is a partner in both the audit practice and the tax/legal services firms. He is a certified auditor, a member of the PIPAA and a member of the Collegium of Auditors. His previous experience includes a number of years as a department head with the Ministry of State Revenues, a period with a Russian audit firm, and several years teaching tax and law courses.

For further information, contact Bakhtiyor Rustamov on +992 44 600 88 33. Alternatively, visit the websites at www.abg.tj and www.russellbedford.com .

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Note to Editors

Established in 1983, Russell Bedford International is a global network of independent firms of accountants, business consultants and specialist legal advisers.

Ranked as one of the world's top 15 accounting and audit networks, Russell Bedford is represented by some 460 partners, 5000 staff and 200 offices in more than 70 countries in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

All Russell Bedford affiliates are well-established firms offering international business advice and services to local and multinational clients. Most provide a full range of services comprising accounting, auditing, tax advice, general business guidance and financial consulting. In addition, many have special expertise in particular fields, such as international taxation or information technology.

In January 2008 Russell Bedford International was named one of the first 17 full members of the IFAC Forum of Firms after reporting it had implemented a globally coordinated quality assurance programme, committed to the use of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and met other specific ethics requirements.