Almost a billion som worth of gas was stolen in Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan, an investigation led by the Department of the General Prosecutor's Office revealed the theft of approximately one billion soums worth of gas. The Department of Combating Economic Crimes reported this discovery.

The Bukhara city branch of the Department under the General Prosecutor's Office uncovered that the head of an LLC and other employees had illicitly connected a hotel building to the public gas pipeline for commercial purposes. This unauthorized connection resulted in the illegal use of 495 million 400 thousand soums worth of natural gas.

Simultaneously, the Lower District Department's investigation exposed a family business's head who had connected a greenhouse to the network, using stolen gas. The greenhouse, previously disconnected due to gas debt, incurred a state loss of 318 million 700 thousand soums.

Furthermore, a family enterprise, operating without a contract, was discovered during a joint operation involving the Karmana district department and the DIA staff. This entity illegally utilized 144,900,000 soums of natural gas. Criminal cases under Article 169 (theft) of the Criminal Code have been initiated, with ongoing investigations, according to the report.