Prosecutor General's Office Uncovers Schemes for Work in South Korea

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan has uncovered instances of fraud and illegal collection of funds in six regions of the country. The perpetrators extorted large sums of money from citizens by promising assistance with official employment and deployment to work in the Republic of Korea.

In most cases, the suspects claimed to have connections within the structures of the Migration Agency, and many of them had previously been held criminally liable for similar offenses.

The largest instance of deception was recorded in the Tashkent region, where a local resident, identified as T. T., gained the trust of 12 citizens. Under the pretext of organizing employment trips to South Korea, he appropriated US$38,000. The individual transferred these funds to his accomplice, A. A., who was formerly an employee of the Migration Agency and already had prior convictions for fraud and bribery.

In the Qashqadaryo region, officials from the relevant department uncovered the criminal activities of I. Kh. and A. K., both previously convicted of fraud. By promising a local resident assistance with traveling abroad through acquaintances in the migration agency, they seized US$2,000 and 36 million soums.

Similar schemes were used by offenders in other regions of the republic. In the Jizzax region, a previously convicted individual, Yu. L., valued his employment services for South Korea through connections in the Migration Agency at US$11,000 and managed to seize a portion of the amount totaling US$2,300. In the Andijan region, A. A., who had previously been prosecuted for fraud, received US$2,500 and 11 million soums from three citizens for processing entry visas, of which US$1,000 was successfully recovered during investigative actions.

In the Ferghana region, a previously convicted individual, I. R., fraudulently appropriated US$3,500 from two citizens in exchange for a promise of employment in South Korea; a return of 3 million soums was ensured through legal procedures. In the Xorazm region, a citizen, Kh. K., extorted US$3,500 for assistance in successfully passing the specialized exams required for traveling to work, and illegally received the first installment of the funds from the victim in the amount of US$1,000.

Corresponding legal and procedural actions are being carried out for all established facts of the offenses.