Uzbekistan Official Arrested in $50K Land Bribery Sting

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A senior administrator in the Gulistan city government has been arrested after allegedly demanding $50,000 in bribes to illegally secure state-reserve land for a local entrepreneur, in a joint sting operation that netted a car, cash, and a criminal case.

Officers from Uzbekistan's State Security Service (SSS) and the Syrdarya regional prosecutor's office caught the hokimiyat official in the act during the handover of the latest cash installment — $8,000 in physical currency — marking the culmination of a coordinated undercover operation.

Investigators say the scheme began when the civil servant approached a local businessman who was seeking to open a grocery store. Leveraging his administrative position and connections within official circles, the official promised to facilitate the allocation of two sotkas (approximately 218 square meters) of state-reserve land in exchange for payment.

The demanded bribe totaled $50,000. As an initial installment, the official accepted a Lacetti passenger vehicle, which he personally valued at $12,000. The car was subsequently re-registered into his name under a power of attorney granting him full operational control — a transaction investigators say was designed to obscure the corrupt transfer.

The arrest was made during the handover of a subsequent cash payment of $8,000, bringing the confirmed value of assets exchanged to at least $20,000.

Criminal proceedings have been formally initiated. The detained official has been remanded into custody pending investigation, with active investigative measures currently underway, according to regional authorities.

The case reflects a broader crackdown on land-allocation corruption across Uzbekistan, where state-controlled real estate remains a persistent flashpoint for official misconduct. Land distribution authority — concentrated in local administrations — has long been identified by anti-corruption watchdogs as among the highest-risk functions in regional governance.

No charges have been publicly filed as of the time of reporting, and the official has not been named in available source materials.