Tax officials caught taking bribes in Andijan and Surkhandarya

Two senior tax officials in the Andijan and Surkhandarya regions have been caught accepting bribes, according to a report from the State Security Service.

The chief inspector of the Department of Business Support and Service under the Andijan Regional Tax Department exploited his official position by alleging discrepancies in the tax reports of a limited liability company (LLC) engaged in selling radio and television equipment in the Altynkul district. He claimed that the company's reported sales were inaccurate, leading to a substantial tax assessment and the threat of a tax audit.

The inspector then offered, through his colleagues, to cancel the audit in exchange for a $3,000 bribe. He had already received $500 from the LLC’s founder and was detained by the State Tax Service and the Internal Revenue Service when he attempted to accept the remaining $2,500. Material evidence was seized during the operation.

In a separate case, the chief inspector of the Department for Supervision of Tax Authorities under the Surkhandarya Regional Tax Department threatened to initiate a mobile tax audit of an LLC involved in the sale of motorcycles and spare parts in the Zharkurgan district. He demanded a bribe of $2,500 to avoid the audit. The inspector was caught red-handed by the State Tax Service and the prosecutor’s office while receiving the money from the LLC’s director.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against both tax officials under Part 3, Clause “v” of Article 168 (Fraud) and Part 1 of Article 28,211 (Bribery) of the Criminal Code. They have been placed in pre-trial detention, and investigative actions are currently underway.

It is worth noting that similar cases were recently reported, including the arrest of the khokim of Sharof Rashidov district in the Jizzakh region and the deputy prosecutor of the city of Gulistan in Syrdarya region, both caught accepting bribes.