Prevention inspector in Tashkent jailed for accepting bribe from popcorn vendor

A prevention inspector in Tashkent has been sentenced for accepting a bribe from a popcorn vendor. The case was considered by the Chilonzor District Criminal Court, with QALAMPIR.UZ gaining access to the court documents.

According to the court, A.A., born in 1992, worked as a prevention inspector in the 2nd Department of Internal Affairs of the Chilonzor District Internal Affairs Department. On August 24, 2024, he took advantage of his official position by demanding 100 thousand sums from a citizen selling popcorn near the entrance to the Magic City park. A.A. requested the bribe be transferred to his personal bank card to prevent the seller from facing action by the Internal Affairs Department.

Additionally, A.A. promised to "protect" four workers selling popcorn at the Magic City park and the “Friendship of Peoples” art palace. He offered to prevent any legal action against them, warn them about upcoming raids, and ensure that they received only a light sentence if caught. For this, A.A. received a bribe of 1.5 million sums from the seller on September 13, 2024.

Following this, the seller reported the incident to the hotline of the Main Department of Personal Security of the Tashkent City Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the same day, based on his complaint, personal security officers confiscated the 1.5 million sums from A.A. as evidence.

Despite his plea of not guilty in court, claiming that the 1.5 million sums were an investment in the popcorn business and denying knowledge of the 100 thousand sums transferred to his bank card, the evidence and witness testimonies confirmed his involvement.

The court found A.A. guilty under Part 2, Subparagraph “a” of Article 210 of the Criminal Code (Bribery). He was sentenced to five years in prison but given a conditional sentence with a probation period of three years. Additionally, he was deprived of the right to work in law enforcement for two years.

It is worth noting that this follows a similar case where an FBI investigator was caught accepting a bribe in the Bektemir district of Tashkent.