Officials caught taking bribes from teachers in Nukus

A bribery scheme involving education officials and school staff has been uncovered in Nukus, according to a report by the State Security Service of Uzbekistan.

The investigation revealed that a teacher at a secondary school in Nukus was caught receiving \$1,000 from a colleague working in the Chimbay district. The bribe was reportedly given in exchange for assistance in passing state certification exams and was allegedly done under the instructions of the school’s deputy director.

Further inquiry uncovered that the deputy director had collected between \$1,000 and \$1,500 from each of over 100 teachers in return for helping them pass certification exams. These transactions were recorded in personal notebooks and documents.

The case also implicated a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Specifically, the chief methodologist of the Department for Organizing the Assessment of Teachers' Knowledge and Qualifications was found to have collected \$10,450 in bribes. He reportedly surrendered the money voluntarily during the investigation.

In addition, a National Guard officer was found to have allowed teachers to bring mobile devices into the examination area without proper checks. Authorities say the bribe money was later distributed among the involved individuals.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 210, Part 2, Clause “g” of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (Receiving a bribe by a group of persons by prior conspiracy), and a full investigation is currently underway.

It is worth noting that a similar incident was reported earlier in the Kamashi district of Kashkadarya region, where an employee of the Tax Department was caught accepting a \$3,000 bribe.