Suspects Detained in Bribery Cases in Jizzakh and Ferghana

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Law enforcement authorities in Uzbekistan have detained suspects in separate corruption cases in the Jizzakh and Ferghana regions, involving officials and a banking sector employee.

The cases were reported following operational measures conducted by the State Security Service jointly with the Department for Combating Economic Crimes.

In the Jizzakh region, an official of the Sharaf-Rashidov district hokimiyat is suspected of abuse of office.

According to investigators, the official allegedly gained the trust of an entrepreneur and demanded US$500 in exchange for facilitating the allocation of a 45 sotix land plot under the jurisdiction of the district irrigation department, as well as assisting in securing employment for the entrepreneur’s acquaintance at a local limited liability company.

The suspect was detained in the act during an operational sting while receiving the money.

A preliminary investigation found that the official had previously received 3.5 million soums under the pretext of resolving the same issues and spent the funds for personal use.

In the Ferghana region, the suspect in another case is the head of a banking service center of a private joint-stock commercial bank. According to law enforcement authorities, he demanded 5% of a loan amount — 125 million soums — in exchange for facilitating approval of a 2.5 billion soum loan through contacts at the bank’s head office.

The banking employee was detained during an operation while receiving US$10,000 as part of the agreed payment.

Criminal cases have been opened in both incidents, and investigative actions are ongoing.