Former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov Sentenced to Corrective Labor and Fine

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 15 September, the Mirabad District Criminal Court concluded the trial of former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov and 61 other defendants, the press service of the Supreme Court reported.

Voitov was found guilty of embezzlement or misappropriation on an especially large scale (paragraph “a,” part 3, article 167 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan). He was sentenced to three years of corrective labor with 30% of his earnings withheld for the benefit of the state, a fine of 400 base calculation units, and a three-year ban on holding managerial or financially responsible positions.

The Supreme Court emphasized that the relatively lenient sentence was due to the fact that the financial damage had been fully compensated during the proceedings. In accordance with part 4 of article 167 of the Criminal Code, imprisonment or restriction of liberty is not applied in such cases. The funds deposited will be transferred to the state budget.

Former Director of the Agency for Agricultural Services under the Ministry of Agriculture, Khusnuddin Karimov, was sentenced to eight years and six months of imprisonment, along with a three-year ban on holding managerial or financially responsible positions.

For the remaining defendants, the court issued differentiated rulings: nine individuals were sentenced to imprisonment, while 51 others received various non-custodial penalties.

Voitov was dismissed from his post as Minister of Agriculture in October 2023. In December of that year, he was charged with large-scale embezzlement and abuse of office causing significant damage.