Uzbekistan to ease business fines and boost oversight

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on 13 April reviewed proposals aimed at further liberalizing the application of financial penalties for businesses, reducing administrative barriers, and strengthening judicial oversight over the activities of state bodies and officials.

During the presentation, it was noted that the current system of imposing financial sanctions still faces a number of systemic issues. A significant share of fines is imposed by authorized agencies, while the role of courts remains limited, highlighting the need to enhance the effectiveness of judicial supervision.

In this context, it has been proposed to introduce a unified mechanism from October 1 of this year to encourage voluntary payment of fines. In particular, if an entrepreneur pays half of the fine within one month from the date of receiving the decision, they will be exempt from paying the remaining amount. The proposals also предусматривают возможность paying fines in equal installments over six months. If the first payment, equal to one-sixth of the total amount, is made within one month, this arrangement will be applied automatically.

To strengthen judicial oversight, it is proposed to introduce a requirement to refund collected funds within 15 days if a fine is отменён by a court or declared invalid. In case of delays, interest will be charged for each day of overdue payment based on the Central Bank’s key rate.

A separate set of measures focuses on digitalization. Plans include the creation of an electronic register of financial penalties within the “Unified State Control” system, to be administered by the Business Ombudsman. All decisions by authorized bodies will have to be mandatorily entered into the system and certified with an electronic digital signature. Otherwise, such decisions will be deemed invalid and unenforceable.

The proposals also предусматривают the introduction of monitoring mechanisms, the ability to pay fines online via mobile applications, and the integration of information systems across government agencies. In addition, an online appeals tool will be created within a personal account for entrepreneurs, with automatic suspension of enforcement while complaints are under review.

As part of the discussion, an initiative was put forward to draft a separate law “On Legal Enforcement Measures,” aimed at unifying the framework for applying sanctions.

The head of state emphasized that protecting the rights of entrepreneurs, encouraging lawful business activity, and ensuring transparency and fairness in the application of penalties remain key priorities.

Following the presentation, relevant agencies were instructed to further refine the proposals and accelerate the implementation of comprehensive reforms in this area.