Dentons advises the State Assets Management Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the US$160 million deal for SamAuto to Anadolu Isuzu

Tashkent—Global law firm Dentons has advised the State Assets Management Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on the US$160 million deal with sale of a 75.2% stake in Samarkand Automobile Factory LLC (SamAuto) to Anadolu Isuzu. Under the terms of the deal, Anadolu Isuzu is acquiring the shares for a base price of US$80 million along with a US$80 million investment plan. This deal represents a strategic milestone in the Uzbek government’s pipeline of privatization.

SamAuto is a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in Central Asia based in Uzbekistan, which has been operating for many years in partnership with Japanese Isuzu and Itochu.

Dentons provided both Uzbek and English law advice related to the preparation and negotiation of the transaction documents. Tashkent-based partner Ulugbek Abdullaev and Frankfurt-based counsel Mikhail Panferov led the deal, supported by associate Latofat Rakhmanova.

Ulugbek Abdullaev commented on the deal, “Dentons’ remains committed to delivering clients with integrated cross-border legal expertise in complex deals, further strengthening our market leadership in Uzbekistan and throughout Central Asia.”

Anadolu Isuzu is a company within Anadolu Group. This is the second deal upon which Dentons has advised across the table from Anadolu Group – in 2021, the Firm advised the seller on the sale of its shares in the Coca-Cola bottler company to Anadolu for USD 252.2 million.