Tashkent Court Orders 300 Million Soums Compensation to Entrepreneur Wrongfully Imprisoned for Five Years

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Uchtepa Civil Court in Tashkent has ordered the payment of 300 million soums in compensation from the state budget to entrepreneur Dilshod Mingboev, who spent five years in prison, according to the “Hudud” program on MY5 TV channel.

The case was presided over by Judge Lola Utanboeva. In 2011, while heading the LLC “Sadaf,” 42-year-old Mingboev was convicted under Article 182 of the Criminal Code (violation of customs regulations) and sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.

After serving five years, he was fully acquitted by the Supreme Court. Following his release, Mingboev filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensation of one billion soums.

“During the five years I spent in prison, we endured many hardships. My mother suffered greatly and fell ill, my wife and family were affected, and I myself endured immense difficulties,” Mingboev stated in court.

His lawyer, Faizinisa Ataeva, explained that on 28 November 2020, the Supreme Court supervisory instance fully acquitted Mingboev of the most serious charges for which he had been imprisoned, leaving only Part 1 of Article 207 (official negligence). For this charge, he was sentenced to corrective labor, which was later canceled under an amnesty.

“The Supreme Court ruling established that Mingboev spent five years in prison without legal grounds,” added Ataeva.

The court ordered the compensation to be paid from the Territorial Target Fund for Reimbursement of Property Damage to Individuals and Legal Entities under the Tashkent Region Hokimiyat. After the hearing, Mingboev expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision.

Judge Utanboeva told the TV channel that, like doctors, judges cannot afford mistakes. She noted that evaluating moral damages in monetary terms is extremely difficult, as it is impossible to measure the suffering endured by a person and their family over five years of imprisonment.

Previously, in January of last year, a former law enforcement officer was acquitted, having been found guilty 13 years ago of criminal inaction. According to him, even after serving his sentence, he was unable to find employment due to his criminal record.