Prosecutor and a senior inspector were caught with bribes

Officials who abused their positions were arrested in the Syrdarya region and Tashkent city, according to the State Security Service.

In 2021, the head of a company specializing in special equipment services in the Syrdarya region made a contract with a representative office of a Chinese state company in Uzbekistan to import multi-functional drilling equipment. He transferred $1,071,000, obtained as a bank loan, to the company's account. However, the Chinese company sent a single-function drilling rig instead of the multi-functional one specified in the contract.

As a result, the prosecutor's office initiated a criminal case against the representatives of the foreign company in Uzbekistan, and the Jizzakh region's DIA conducted investigations. The examination concluded that the equipment was indeed multi-functional.

A businessman dissatisfied with this outcome sought the help of a Tashkent resident born in 1969. Using his official connections, this individual promised to influence the investigator to re-examine the equipment and issue a favorable decision. In return, he demanded $155,000 and was caught receiving $105,000.

"During the pre-investigation, it was discovered that this person intended to resolve the issue through the senior prosecutor of the department of ensuring the prosecutor's authority in administrative court cases in Tashkent city and his intermediary, the head of the insurance center in Tashkent. They were also detained," the report states.

The General Prosecutor's Office has now opened a criminal case against these individuals under Article 168 (fraud) of the Criminal Code, and they have been placed in pre-trial detention.

The Senior Inspector of Fire Prevention of the People's Friendship Art Palace of the Tashkent Emergency Situations Department demanded $12,000 in exchange for helping a colleague authorize the fire safety systems in a newly constructed non-residential building in Yunusabad district and issuing a positive commissioning report. He was caught giving $2,900 to his colleague.

"Currently, the prosecutor's office has initiated a criminal case against the senior inspector under part 1 of Article 211 (bribery) of the Criminal Code, and bail has been applied," the report states.