Former Tashkent Imam Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Pap District Criminal Court in Uzbekistan's Namangan Region has sentenced former Tashkent imam Odilkhan Ismoilov and six other defendants in a criminal case, the Supreme Court's press service said.

The court found all seven defendants guilty of offences under Paragraph "a" of Part 3 of Article 167 (misappropriation or embezzlement), Paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 209 (official forgery), Paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 227 (unlawful seizure, destruction, damage or concealment of documents, stamps, seals, forms, vehicle registration plates and trailer registration plates), and Paragraphs "a" and "b" of Part 2 of Article 228 (production, forgery, sale or use of forged documents, stamps, seals and forms) of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code.

Ismoilov, born in 1977 in Namangan Region and the founder of Rayxon Oilaviy Milliy Taomlari, was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. Following the application of Article 62 of the Criminal Code, his final sentence was set at seven years, 11 months and 28 days.

The remaining six defendants received prison sentences of varying lengths, taking into account the nature of the offences they committed.

The court also ordered the convicted individuals to compensate for the material damage caused.

Ismoilov served as deputy chief imam of Tashkent from 2010. From 2011 until July 2018, he was chief imam of the Shaykhantakhur district and imam of the Shaykh Zayniddin Mosque.

From 2019, Ismoilov worked at the Vakf charitable public foundation. In February of that year, he was appointed imam of the Khoja Alambardor Mosque in the Shaykhantakhur district, but resigned in September 2019 of his own accord, citing health reasons.