Farmer illegally selling land detained in Samarkand

Cases of illegal land sales have been uncovered in Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, the State Security Service (SSS) reported.

According to the agency, in Akdarya district of Samarkand region, the head of a farming enterprise engaged in grain cultivation demanded $300,000 in exchange for illegally transferring 3 hectares of agricultural land to a resident of Samarkand city, who intended to build a greenhouse. The suspect planned to facilitate the transaction through officials within the local administration.

During an оператив operation conducted jointly by the State Security Service and the regional Department of Internal Affairs, the farmer was detained with physical evidence at the time he received an initial payment of $20,000.

A criminal case has been opened against the suspect under Article 168 (fraud), Part 4, Clause “a”, and Articles 28 and 211 (bribery), Part 3, Clause “a” of the Criminal Code, and investigative actions are currently underway.

In a separate incident in Kashkadarya region, two residents of Karshi district, born in 1992 and 1998, conspired to illegally obtain 8 sotik (0.08 hectares) of state reserve land. They promised to secure the land — through their alleged connections with officials — for a citizen residing in Kukdala district to build a house, demanding 180 million soums in return.

The suspects were detained by officers of the State Security Service and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes while receiving an advance payment of $10,000.

A criminal case has been initiated against them under Article 168 (fraud), Part 2, Clauses “a” and “b”, and Articles 28 and 211 (bribery), Part 1 of the Criminal Code. Investigations are ongoing.

It is worth noting that earlier, a senior inspector from the mobile tax audit department of the Tashkent Regional Tax Administration was also detained with physical evidence while receiving $5,000.