Officials and State Employees Detained in Uzbekistan for Bribery

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — During joint operational activities across several regions of the country, law enforcement authorities uncovered multiple cases of bribery involving employees of state institutions.

In Surkhandarya region, a senior operative of the Customs Anti-Smuggling Department was detained while receiving US$400. Investigation revealed that he had promised a resident of Termez district to transfer US$20,000 through the Sariosiyo customs post without official declaration, using his official connections. A criminal case has been opened under Part 3, Article 168(b) and Part 1, Articles 25 and 211 of the Criminal Code.

In Namangan region, the head of a district department of the Cadastre was detained for accepting 3 million soums from a local resident in exchange for processing documents for an extension to a grocery store. A criminal case has been initiated against him under Part 2, Article 210(b) of the Criminal Code.

Also in Namangan region, a legal advisor of the Koson district branch of JSC “Hududiy Elektr Tarmoqlari” — a subsidiary of “Energosavdo” — was detained. He had received US$2,000 from a citizen in exchange for promising to annul a fine of 28.6 million soums for an illegal connection to the electricity network without entering the data into the electronic system. A criminal case has been opened against him under Part 3, Article 168(b) of the Criminal Code.

All detainees are under investigation, and their actions are classified as bribery involving abuse of official position. The investigation is ongoing.