Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Following a report made by a resident of Tashkent region to the State Security Service (SSS) call center, information was received indicating that an officer of the regional Department of Internal Affairs was abusing his official position and committing acts of corruption.

A criminal case has been opened against this officer under Articles 210, 131, 135, 206, 207, and 165 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and an investigation is underway.

The officer allegedly demanded US$20,000 from the relatives of a former law enforcement officer who is currently under investigation, promising to use his connections in the judiciary to help secure a more lenient sentence.

On May 16 of this year, during a joint sting operation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Directorate of the State Security Service and the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs, the officer—born in 1995 and identified as citizen “A.B.”—was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe.

In a separate incident on May 17, during a coordinated operation involving the SSS, the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs, another law enforcement officer from the Yangiyul district of Tashkent region was arrested while receiving a US$24,000 bribe from an acquaintance of a convicted person serving a sentence of 8 years and 5 months. This officer, now charged under Articles 103 and 112 of the Criminal Code, allegedly promised to use his connections in the Tashkent city courts to reduce the convict’s sentence in exchange for the bribe.

A search revealed that the suspect possessed documents indicating he held the status of both a licensed attorney and an arbitration court judge, as well as a copy of an order from the Ministry of Internal Affairs appointing him to a position.

It is worth noting that this individual had worked in law enforcement until 2014, later practiced law starting in 2022, and was recently reinstated in the Interior Ministry in April of this year. However, within just two months of returning to service, he once again committed corruption-related offenses.

In connection with these incidents, the Tashkent City Prosecutor’s Office has opened criminal cases under Articles 168 (Part 4), 28, and 211 (Part 3) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. Investigations are ongoing.