Dollar's official exchange rate updated

A raygaz employee in Tashkent was detained with a $21,000 bribe. In Pskent, the head of a water supply enterprise embezzled pipes worth 3 billion soums. Illegal procurements worth 16.4 billion soums by state organizations were uncovered. Have you noticed that you read these short reports without much surprise, even though the figures are larger than what many people may ever see in their lives?

The reason is that, as reports on one topic have multiplied and corruption-related crimes have been discussed more frequently, people have begun to perceive them as ordinary and routine. Almost every other day, cases of bribery, fraud, embezzlement of state funds, misappropriation, extortion and abuse become the topic of the day. Yes, corruption has become one of the most painful problems in Uzbekistan — one that does not distinguish between position, season, age, gender or sector. It has been repeatedly emphasized that tough measures must be taken to fight it. And now the process many had been waiting for has begun. Officials who steal budget money may now face up to 10 years in prison. An open list of corrupt officials will be created and a “table of shame” will be published. Bribe-takers will no longer be released early from punishment. Corrupt leaders will be exposed by their own deputies, and employees of compliance structures will be granted immunity. In short, life will now become very difficult for bribe-takers. Let us discuss this in detail.

A state of emergency against corruption

In his Address to the chambers of the Oliy Majlis and the people of Uzbekistan at the end of 2025, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that, starting from January 1, 2026, the position of deputy head for compliance would be introduced in all state bodies and organizations, and a state of emergency would be declared in the fight against corruption.

In order for the head of state’s remarks to work in practice and for the fight against corruption to be carried out at the level of a state of emergency, compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures will be established in all state bodies and organizations in Uzbekistan. If this service identifies corruption-related offenses committed by the top leaders of a state body or organization, it will be able to directly appeal to law enforcement agencies. The legal basis for this is the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Introducing Additions and Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aimed at Increasing the Effectiveness of the Fight Against Corruption and Ensuring the Inevitability of Liability for Corruption Crimes,” adopted on June 22 this year.

Under the law, compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures of state bodies and organizations must ensure the introduction of effective mechanisms and control systems aimed at preventing corruption in the activities of agencies; coordinate the activities of units tasked with fighting corruption, controlling the circulation of budget funds and ensuring personal security; implement an anti-corruption control system aimed at ensuring transparency and preventing affiliation and conflicts of interest; and organize inspections in the prescribed manner regarding corruption cases in a state body or organization, as well as measures to prevent them and ensure strict accountability.

Internal control structures will also cooperate with state bodies and organizations that carry out and participate in anti-corruption activities.

They will be granted special rights to perform the tasks assigned to them.

For example, employees will be able to use information and databases necessary to carry out their assigned duties within the system of a state body or organization. They will also have the right to:

• take measures to eliminate the causes and conditions that enable corruption-related offenses in a state body or organization;
• independently organize anti-corruption measures and control activities within the system of a state body or organization, or do so by forming a working group;
• cooperate with operational-search, pre-investigation and investigative bodies in the fight against corruption and take measures to involve them in the prescribed manner;
• directly or indirectly observe and record the actions of persons, events and processes in order to identify corruption factors, prevent them and put an end to corruption cases;
• request and receive information, other necessary documents and materials from state bodies, other organizations and citizens in order to carry out assigned duties;
• when necessary within the scope of their powers, enter the premises of a state body or organization without obstruction in order to review relevant documents and materials;
• independently and directly notify higher-level compliance services of corruption cases identified within the system of a state body or organization;
• establish covert cooperation with certain persons in the prescribed manner in order to identify and stop corruption cases within the system of a state body or organization;
• submit collected materials on identified corruption-related offenses within the system of a state body or organization to relevant law enforcement agencies, or directly to their compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures, for legal action;
• issue mandatory instructions to prevent violations of the law within the system of a state body or organization and submit recommendations to eliminate such violations.

Compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures of state bodies and organizations will also have other rights established by law.

If signs of corruption-related offenses by the top leaders of a state body or organization are identified, or if there are sufficient grounds to believe that they are leading the activities of a criminal group, their deputy for compliance and internal anti-corruption control, in coordination with the higher-level compliance and internal anti-corruption control service, will have the authority to directly submit relevant documents and information to law enforcement agencies. They may also submit proposals to temporarily suspend management decisions on personnel matters and financial expenditures, or to temporarily remove the relevant leader or employee from performing their duties.

Employees of compliance structures to be granted immunity

Naturally, many people may wonder whether a person who reports corruption or a possible crime within an organization, while working there as an employee, will be able to fully use the opportunities available to them. Of course, a solution has also been provided for this.

The activities of compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures of state bodies and organizations will be coordinated by the Compliance Service of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This may be seen as an indication of the level of protection they will receive.

In addition, employees of compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures of state bodies and organizations will be granted immunity, meaning they will be under state protection. In particular, entry into their residence or office, inspection of their residence, office or vehicles, searches, seizure of items, wiretapping of their telephone conversations, inspection and personal search of employees, as well as inspection, seizure or obtaining of their correspondence, belongings and documents, may be carried out only with the written permission of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan and in accordance with the established procedure.

Furthermore, questioning an employee of compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures as a witness or suspect, applying a preventive measure in the form of detention, or holding them in custody will be permitted only in the prescribed manner with the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan being informed. This procedure will also apply for two years to former employees whose employment contracts have been terminated or who have been dismissed from service. A criminal case against such employees may be initiated only by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan. These guarantees were also established by the law adopted on June 22 this year.

Bribe-takers will no longer be released early

The new law introduced amendments and additions to a number of articles of the Criminal Code. In particular, according to Clause “v1” added to Article 73 of the Code, which concerns conditional early release from serving a sentence, a person convicted of embezzlement or misappropriation through theft, as well as fraud, who has not fully compensated the damage caused by the crime, will not be conditionally released early until the damage is fully compensated.

In addition, Clause “g” of the same article was supplemented with the wording “repeatedly or by a dangerous recidivist, or in a particularly large amount, receiving a bribe, giving a bribe, or acting as an intermediary in bribery.” It was determined that persons convicted on these charges will also not be conditionally released early from punishment.

A possible example of this can also be cited. In November 2025, former deputy minister Bekmurod Abdullayev was dismissed from his post, and in January 2026 he was accused of embezzling 186 billion soums of budget funds in state procurements within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. By mid-April this year, it became known that he had been released. According to officially unconfirmed reports, the former official had compensated the damage caused.

According to the amendments and additions introduced into the legislation, persons found guilty of committing corruption-related crimes will be entered into the electronic register of persons found guilty of committing corruption-related crimes.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs will enter information about a person into the register within three working days from the moment a guilty verdict against a person convicted of corruption-related crimes enters into legal force.

Information on persons found guilty of committing corruption-related crimes will be stored in the electronic register during the period of conviction established by the Criminal Code, and restrictions will be imposed on persons included in the register. These include restrictions on:

• entering public service and receiving state awards;
• being nominated for elected positions and positions appointed under a special procedure;
• becoming a member of public councils under state bodies and interdepartmental collegial bodies;
• participating in state procurement and public-private partnership agreements as an entrepreneur founded by the person, if the person owns more than 50% of the charter fund;
• holding leadership positions in organizations where the state share exceeds 50%, as well as in state educational institutions.

The electronic register will be maintained by the Anti-Corruption Agency in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Also, under the new law, fraud committed through abuse of official position has been transferred to Part 4 of Article 168 of the Criminal Code, meaning it is now classified among especially serious crimes. This means officials who steal budget money may now face up to 10 years in prison.

Number of anti-corruption bodies increases

In Uzbekistan, there were previously three organizations directly responsible for developing state anti-corruption policy, prevention and coordinating the work of all agencies.

The first is the Accounts Chamber, the country’s highest financial control body. It checks where and how every soum and every tiyin allocated from the state budget is spent. If any ministry or mayor’s office artificially inflates prices during construction or procurement — in simple terms, if money is “made to disappear” — the auditors of the Accounts Chamber are the first to identify it.

The next is the National Anti-Corruption Council. This council, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, includes representatives of the public and state bodies. Previously, the National Council operated only at the national level. Under the new law, its divisions are now being established in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Tashkent city and the regions. The composition of the council is approved by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the council’s governing bodies are defined at the level of law.

The third important organization is undoubtedly the Anti-Corruption Agency, established on June 29, 2020. It is the main independent body directly subordinate to the President and responsible for implementing a unified state policy in the field of preventing and combating corruption. It is this agency that oversees transparency in public procurement and the declaration system.

Now the Compliance Service of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which will coordinate the activities of compliance and internal anti-corruption control structures of state bodies and organizations, has joined their ranks.

As can be seen, the state of emergency declared against corruption is working according to a clear mechanism. The issue is no longer who sits in which office or who stands behind whom. For officials, the choice is simple: either work honestly, or trade their future, position and freedom for a place in the electronic register’s “table of shame.” The system has changed, and the laws have become stricter. Now it is time for implementation. Because even the most perfect law, if it is not applied strictly in practice, will remain nothing more than paper.