Officials Detained in Tashkent and Namangan Regions on Suspicion of Bribery

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Several corruption schemes involving government officials have been uncovered in the Tashkent and Namangan regions, the press service of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported.

In Tashkent region, a case was revealed involving the deputy director of the state institution “Yagona Buyurtmachi Xizmati” (Single Purchaser Service) under the regional hokimiyat. Using the national information system Shaffof Qurilish, the official arranged the transfer of advance funds totaling 1.1 billion soums to a contractor under a capital repair contract worth 2.073 billion soums. In return, he demanded US$2,000 from the head of the contracting company.

Additionally, he facilitated the cancellation of a court claim to recover over 643 million soums from the contractor for delays in construction, for which he received an additional US$5,000.

The official was detained in flagrante delicto; a criminal case was opened against him under Article 210, Part 2, Clauses A and B of the Criminal Code, and he was placed in pretrial detention.

Also in Tashkent region, the head of a district department of the ecology administration was detained for accepting US$3,000 in exchange for granting permission to cut down mature trees near a residential building for construction purposes. A criminal case under Article 210, Part 1 of the Criminal Code has been initiated, and the suspect is in custody.

In Pap district of Namangan region, the assistant to the hokim of a local mahalla council was detained for bribery. The official promised an entrepreneur assistance in registering 90 sotok of land for the construction of a banquet hall and received an advance payment of US$4,500. Unable to fulfill the promise, he returned part of the sum—1.2 million soums—and was detained by the State Security Service and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes. A criminal case has also been initiated against him.

All identified cases are under strict control of law enforcement agencies, investigations are ongoing, and measures are being taken to hold the offenders accountable.