The law was passed by the Legislative Chamber on 18 August 2017 and approved by the Senate on 24 August 2017. The document came into force on 7 September 2017.

The law was developed in pursuance of the Program of Comprehensive Measures for Further Reforming the Judicial and Legal System, Strengthening the Guarantees of Reliable Protection of Citizens’ Rights and Freedoms, approved by the Presidential Decree from 21 October 2016, and the State Program for Implementing the Strategy of Action.

The law introduces amendments and additions to the Criminal and Criminal Procedural Codes of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On operational-search activity”.

These changes, in particular, provide for exclusion from criminal procedural legislation of the institute of inquiry, which actually duplicates the institution of pre-investigation checks.

The law establishes a simplified procedure for pre-trial proceedings in cases of crimes, which do not pose a major public danger.

The right to conduct an inquiry is provided to the internal affairs bodies, the Department for Combating Tax, Currency Crimes and Legalization of Criminal Incomes under the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Bureau of Enforcement at the General Prosecutor’s Office and the state customs authorities.

The law envisages transfer from the bodies of internal affairs to the investigation of the prosecutor’s office of a number of crimes, which pose a particular public danger.