Former Deputy Governor of Gulistan convicted in $350,000 fraud case

The former Deputy Governor of Gulistan City, Syrdarya Region, Qodir Dodoyev, has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison for large-scale fraud. The verdict was delivered by the Saykhunabad District Criminal Court on December 4, 2024.  

According to court documents obtained by Qalampir.uz, Dodoyev and his associates, including the Head of the Investment and Foreign Trade Department and individuals from the Tashkent District, orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to defraud Chinese investors.  

The group exploited the entrepreneurial plans of Chinese nationals Q.D. and H.Z. by showcasing industrial zone facilities and land plots in Gulistan City and nearby districts, including Oqoltin, Mirzaabad, and Saykhunabad. They facilitated fraudulent transactions under the guise of developing poultry, fishing, and textile projects.  

The scheme involved using electronic digital signatures illegally obtained through the State Services Agency. They persuaded an acquaintance of the head of LLC “Sh.g.” to lose an online auction deliberately, enabling LLC “M.” to acquire an old cotton mill in Saykhunabad District at a grossly undervalued price of $200,000 instead of its actual worth of 1.8 billion sums. The conspirators then extorted $15,000 from the Chinese investors, promising to facilitate the deal.  

When the original project proved unfeasible, the group sought other land options to avoid exposure. They identified a livestock farm with 23 hectares of land in Saikhunabad District and convinced the investors to purchase it. The conspirators falsely inflated the price to $250,000 and pocketed $50,000 under the guise of facilitating the transaction.  
  
Dodoyev’s group also deceived the investors into sending another $125,000 for a fishing lake project that was never delivered. In total, they defrauded the Chinese investors of over $350,000.  

The court found Dodoyev guilty under Article 168, Part 4, Clause “a” of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code for committing fraud on a large scale. Born in 1994, Dodoyev graduated from the Tashkent Financial Institute in 2017 and held several roles in Gulistan's city administration. Between 2021 and 2024, he served as Deputy Governor, overseeing investments and foreign trade.  

This is not the first instance of corruption among regional officials in Uzbekistan. Earlier, Aziz Boboev, Deputy Governor of Romitan District in the Bukhara Region, was also accused of fraud.