UZS 1.9 Billion Cashback Embezzlement Scheme Uncovered in Jizzakh

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Law enforcement authorities in the Jizzakh region have uncovered the embezzlement of 1.9 billion soums in state funds disbursed as tax cashback through the Soliq Mobile application, according to the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the General Prosecutor's Office of Uzbekistan.

A pre-trial inquiry established that citizens R. A. and T. Sh., acting in collusion with officials of the companies "B. R." and "A. A.", prepared fictitious documents for the supply of goods totaling 16.6 billion soums. Funds allegedly received from the sale of these products were subsequently processed through cash registers.

Participants in the scheme printed 3,106 cash register receipts, on the basis of which tax cashback was credited via the Soliq Mobile app to citizens included in the social protection registry.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 167 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, covering embezzlement by misappropriation or waste, and Article 228, which concerns the production, forgery, sale, or use of forged documents, stamps, seals, and official forms.

This is not the first instance of such violations being uncovered. Law enforcement authorities previously reported the embezzlement of 35 billion soums in budget funds via the tax cashback mechanism in the Andijan region, while the activities of a criminal group that illegally misappropriated 3.2 billion soums using fake cash register receipts were stopped in the Ferghana region.

In early July, the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies under the Ministry of Economy and Finance proposed discontinuing mass tax cashback for purchase receipts and transitioning to targeted incentive measures.