Voitov case: State secret or state money?

On March 18, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, chairman of the Human Rights Society "Ezgulik," reported that an appeal trial had begun in the Tashkent City Criminal Court in the case of former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov.  

However, the press secretary of the Supreme Court, Aziz Obidov, categorically denied this information.  

"The trial of Aziz Voitov began in the first instance in September. The court session is currently ongoing. The trial has not ended," Obidov stated.  

The first-instance trial began on August 15, 2024, at the Mirabad District Criminal Court. Due to the large volume of the case and the high number of participants, the proceedings were scheduled to be held behind closed doors.  

What charges against the former Minister of Agriculture are so serious that the trial has been ongoing for seven months? And why is it being held behind closed doors?  

On September 12, the courtroom doors were closed to journalists during the criminal proceedings against Aziz Voitov and 49 other defendants at the Yunusabad District Criminal Court. The decision came after Gafur Makhkamov, a representative of the Agency for Agricultural Services under the Ministry of Agriculture, filed a motion to hold the trial in a closed session, citing confidentiality concerns.  

"There are documents that cannot be disclosed during the trial, as their publication could negatively impact efforts to attract foreign investors. Therefore, I request that the trial be held behind closed doors," the ministry representative explained.  

Some lawyers, however, interpreted the ministry official’s statement as an indication that the case involved a "state secret."  

Judge Sardor Sodikov of the Mirabad District Criminal Court, who had already restricted journalists' activities in court, granted the motion. As a result, the media was prevented from directly monitoring and covering the Voitov case.  

What is the secret that has kept journalists in the dark for so long? If certain documents cannot be used in official proceedings, why are they being classified as state secrets? Could their disclosure truly harm Uzbekistan's investment potential? Like many, we are eager to uncover the truth. That is why we obtained the preliminary investigation report on the case. According to the report, the issue at hand involves the embezzlement of millions—possibly billions—of state funds.  

"The groom was chosen by the Prophets"

A review of the 189-page preliminary investigation summary reveals the repeated mention of Voitov’s classmate, father-in-law, and mother-in-law. In fact, all three are among the 49 defendants on trial.  

The investigation alleges that while serving as chairman of the board of JSCB "Uzsanoatqurilishbank" and as chairman of the bank’s Supervisory Board, Voitov used his position for personal gain. In 2018, he allegedly facilitated a loan from the Academic Branch of "Milliybank" to purchase textile equipment without any complications.  

Although the business plan for the loan stated that repayment would come from the dyeing and manufacturing of yarn, Voitov allegedly sought to evade repayment. Citing the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he reportedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with his father-in-law, A. Karimov, and associate A. Urinbaev. Together, they established Lanell Group LLC. Later, on March 5, 2021, Voitov’s mother-in-law, D. Karimova, helped create Rainbow Teks LLC (formerly Ostex TTZ).  

Between 2019 and 2022, Voitov and his associates allegedly extended the loan repayment period four times until September 2029. Meanwhile, they are accused of misappropriating 21.77 billion soums of loan funds, diverting the money for unauthorized purposes, and deliberately failing to make repayments to prevent the bank from taking legal action.  

Additionally, from 2019 to 2022, Voitov is accused of illegally extending the loan repayment period seven times, until September 2027. During this time, he allegedly embezzled another 600,000 euros (6.28 billion sums at the Central Bank's exchange rate as of December 1, 2019). 

Real estate business  

Official documents from the preliminary investigation report indicate that the "beloved son-in-law" did not stop enriching his father-in-law.  

In 2018, under government directives, a multi-story residential building was to be constructed in the city of Ahangaran, Tashkent region, using bank funds. Additionally, a seven-story residential building was planned in Nurafshan for employees of the Tashkent regional branch of "Uzsanoatqurilishbank." Learning of these projects, Voitov's father-in-law and his associates at "Beltepa Master Stroy" LLC devised a scheme to embezzle bank funds under the guise of securing uncontrollable profits by obtaining the construction contracts for these buildings.  

According to the criminal plan, A. Karimov was to involve his son-in-law, A. Voitov, in the scheme—and he succeeded. In August 2018, during an inspection of the construction site along the A-373 highway in Ahangaran, Voitov met with O. Rajabov. While the seven-story residential building in Nurafshan, designated for bank employees, was supposed to be developed through a public procurement process, with a tender held to select a contractor, Voitov bypassed these legal requirements. Instead, he illegally instructed A. Tolibov, head of the Tashkent regional branch of "Uzsanoatqurilishbank," to award the construction contract to his father-in-law’s associate at "Beltepa Master Stroy" LLC.  

The governor’s action

But was it easy to hand over such a large construction project to an acquaintance? Simply ordering Tolibov to approve the deal was not enough. According to investigative documents, Voitov received assistance from Nurafshan's mayor, Usmon Rakhimov.  

Rakhimov had served as mayor of Nurafshan (formerly Tuytepa), the administrative center of Tashkent region, since January 2018. In August 2019, he was appointed mayor of Almalyk but was dismissed less than a year later. However, his removal was not due to criminal activities but rather a serious traffic violation committed by his son, Dilshod Rakhimov.  

According to the investigation report:  

"Although a decision issued by the Nurafshan city governor on August 14, 2018 (No. 507) stated that the seven-story residential building for employees of the Tashkent regional branch of 'Uzsanoatqurilishbank' would be constructed by 'Global Trans Qurilish Montaj' LLC, the contract was fraudulently altered to favor 'Beltepa Master Stroy' LLC. The tender process required under the Law on State Procurement was bypassed, allowing 'Beltepa Master Stroy' to receive a loan under the pretense of 'replenishing working capital' and 'purchasing construction materials.' The completed building was then transferred to the bank’s balance sheet at inflated prices."

Although the actual construction cost of the residential building was 32.1 billion soums, the company inflated the project estimate to 53.9 billion soums. This maneuver allowed for a total of 48.5 billion soums to be allocated through the Operational Department of the Tashkent Regional Branch of the bank, supposedly for working capital and construction materials. Ultimately, the company completed the seven-story residential building using misappropriated loan funds. 

"A learned soul will not be left without a will"

Although Voitov was dismissed from his position as Chairman of the Board of "Uzsanoatqurilishbank" in March 2020 and appointed First Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, he continued to exert influence over the bank as Chairman of its Supervisory Board. Retaining his position in the banking sector, he abused his authority by instructing specialists at "Uzsanoatqurilishbank" to conduct a nominal inspection of a building, allegedly securing fraudulent reports that falsely confirmed the completion of construction work worth 56 billion soums.  

Subsequently, Voitov’s father-in-law, A. Karimov, facilitated the unjustified valuation of the building at 79.85 billion soums in favor of "Real Consult-Service" LLC. Through the bank’s Credit Committee and Board, official protocols and decisions were issued to accept the building into the bank’s balance sheet at an inflated value of 64.5 billion soums, with the excess amount paid to "Beltepa Master Stroy" LLC. Ultimately, this scheme led to the embezzlement of 32.39 billion soums in bank funds, as concluded by the prosecutor's office.  

To create an illusion of social support for employees, 72 apartments located on the second to seventh floors of the residential complex were sold to bank employees without down payments and on a 15-year installment plan. This caused financial losses of 18.64 billion soums to the bank’s interests.  

"The secret"

If you have followed our investigation thus far, it is time to uncover the secret that journalists were afraid to report—one that could negatively impact Uzbekistan's investment reputation.  

Voitov is accused of jeopardizing a $2.5 million investment from the World Bank.  

In August 2022, Voitov was appointed Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, a position he held until October 2023. Investigations have revealed that his tenure in this role was also marked by criminal activities.  

As part of a 2017 Presidential Resolution on strengthening the material and technical base of higher education institutions—with funding from the International Development Association—and a 2020 Presidential Resolution on higher education development, plans were made to establish an inter-institutional Scientific Laboratory for Ecophysiological Research at Tashkent State Agrarian University.  

Under this initiative, laboratory equipment worth $2.5 million was delivered to the university in January 2021 through an agreement with the Japanese company "Ogawa Seiki Co. LTD," funded by a World Bank loan of $2.546 million.  

To launch the project, the university announced a tender in December 2022 for the design and estimate documentation required for the laboratory’s reconstruction, in accordance with the Law on State Procurement. The contract was awarded to "Inter Active-Teams" LLC, which prepared project documentation worth 15.2 billion soums.  

Although an international tender was required to select a contractor for the reconstruction of the Scientific and Research Center for Biological Protection of Plants, Voitov bypassed legal procedures. In March 2023, he assured M. Mirziyatov, head of "Shipland" LLC, that his company would be awarded the reconstruction contract. Violating public procurement laws and presidential decrees, Voitov issued an oral order to begin construction without holding any formal competition.  

Due to the failure to announce an international tender, the World Bank withheld funds for the reconstruction of the building under the "Modernization of Agriculture in Uzbekistan" project. As a result, the $2.5 million worth of research equipment purchased from Japan in 2021 remained unused, the chemical reagents expired, and the project was never launched. This caused significant damage to state and public interests, while "Shipland" LLC incurred losses of 2.39 billion soums. 

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Where is "Uzdonmaxulot"

As the prosecutor’s investigation revealed, these are not the only crimes Aziz Voitov is suspected of. While serving as the Minister of Agriculture, he exceeded his official authority. According to the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Measures for the Effective Use of Administrative Buildings of Executive Authorities of the Republic,” the administrative building of Uzdonmaxulot JSC, located at 36 Shakhrisabz Street, Mirabad District, Tashkent City, valued at 230.4 billion soums, along with inventory worth 1.3 billion soums, was to be transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry was required to relocate to this building within two months. However, Voitov failed to comply with the Presidential Decree.  

Without formally transferring the building to the Ministry of Agriculture’s balance sheet and despite the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services not having developed the necessary design and estimate documentation, as well as the State Supervision Inspectorate for Construction and Housing and Communal Services explicitly stating that repairs could not proceed without a construction permit, “Shipland” LLC dismantled the building. This rendered it unusable, causing damage of 107.46 billion soums and the looting of goods and materials worth 493.4 million soums, along with an additional 903.9 million soums in dismantling costs, which were incurred by “CHIPLAND” LLC. 

Another charge against Aziz Voitov involves the embezzlement of state funds through his own enterprise. In December 2022, during a meeting with entrepreneurs in the Surkhandarya region, he presented himself as a minister supporting entrepreneurial activity. Despite lacking a clear business plan for the targeted use of loan funds and knowing in advance that the loan allocation would lack proper justification, he instructed A. Shukurov, the head of Termiz Gold Kapital LLC, a company affiliated with him, to secure a loan in foreign currency. This resulted in the allocation of $300,000 (at an exchange rate of 12,496.80 soums per dollar, totaling 3.749 billion soums) to Termiz Gold Kapital LLC. In turn, A. Shukurov is suspected of embezzling and misappropriating these funds by withdrawing them from the bank, using them to repay existing debts, and spending them for unrelated purposes.  

Although the farm had no contracts (futures) with producers, no previous operational history, no income, and had ended 2021 with a 514 million soum loss, it was still illegally granted a loan of 3.8 billion soums for a period of eight months at an annual interest rate of 14%. This loan was allocated to the "Buyuk Javohir Timsoli" financial institution, supposedly to replenish working capital for purchasing agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and medicinal plants, as stated in the business plan. However, another 3.8 billion soums were subsequently misused in direct violation of the plan, and an additional 3.8 billion soums were squandered aimlessly. It is alleged that Voitov embezzled these budget funds.  

And that is not all. According to the prosecutor’s preliminary findings, Voitov is accused of additional crimes. He facilitated the allocation of 1 billion soums to the "Vegetable, Melon, and Potato Research Institute" in 2023, misappropriated these funds, and embezzled a large amount of state money.  

Although it was intended to renovate three dormitories of Tashkent State Agrarian University—unused for decades due to disrepair—on a shared basis, with two to be transferred to the university and one to the Ministry of Agriculture for residential purposes, Voitov carried out unauthorized actions. He ordered the demolition of the buildings, rendering them unusable, causing damages of 26 billion soums to state and public interests, and allegedly inflicted a further loss of 172.9 million soums.  

Based on these findings, Voitov Aziz Botirovich is accused of intentionally committing crimes under Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, including embezzlement, abuse of office, exceeding official authority, and official fraud.  

During the investigation, Voitov partially confessed to the charges. However, he later claimed he had no involvement in allocating a 600,000-euro loan from the Olmazor branch of JSCB "Uzsanoatkurilisbank" and denied any connections with "Lanell Group," "Ostex TTZ," or "Rainbow-Teks" LLC. He asserted that the factory in question did not belong to him and accused A. Urunbaev of falsely attributing it to him.  

According to Voitov, he had no role in the illegal extension of the loan term seven times until September 2027.  

He also stated that he only discovered after the investigation began that his father-in-law, A. Karimov, was the founder of "Beltepa Master Stroy" LLC, which built a seven-story residential building. He claimed he had no prior knowledge of Karimov’s involvement in the project. 

A draft order for dismantling and renovating the Uzdonmaxulot JSC building was sent to the Presidential Administration for approval. The Administration responded that there were no objections. The draft specified that "Shipland" LLC would be the contractor and that funding would come from the World Bank. Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojaev personally retained the draft and informed the Prime Minister that he would sign it himself.  

Voitov stated that when he asked Khojaev if the renovation should proceed, Khojaev assured him that he would finalize the order, allowing the work to begin. However, the order remained unsigned, and by the time Voitov returned from his trip, Shipland LLC had completely dismantled the building. He regretted believing Khojaev’s assurances before the order was officially issued.  

Nonetheless, Voitov insisted that he should not be held financially responsible for the demolition. He promised that if given the opportunity, he would restore the building to its previous state.  

Termiz Gold Kapital LLC denied involvement in the illegal activities of the Agency for Agricultural Services concerning Buyuk Javohir Timsoli. Voitov explained that while the agency’s director had given Karimov instructions regarding the loan, he had only directed him to allocate it in accordance with regulations—not illegally. Furthermore, regional government officials had merely recommended that the companies and farms consider the loan allocation.  

"I told them to consider the recommended companies and farms," Voitov testified. "But I don't remember exactly what I said regarding Termiz Gold Kapital LLC and Buyuk Javohir Timsoli Farm." He also stated that the head of the "Vegetable, Melon, and Potato Research Institute," R. Nizamov, requested funding for potato variety development. In response, Voitov called Karimov and instructed that a loan be allocated legally. However, he denied that these funds were meant to be distributed under Resolution No. PP-225, which concerns financing agricultural costs.  

During open court hearings, Voitov’s relatives insisted that he was merely a scapegoat in the case. The question remained: who had orchestrated this?  

However, investigator Aziz remained skeptical of Voitov’s testimony.  

"The charges against him were partially confessed by Voitov Aziz Botirovich and Rajabov Orzubek Atabaevich, while the defendant Urunbaev Alisher Fazlitdinovich denied guilt. Nonetheless, their guilt was fully confirmed by witness testimonies, civil plaintiffs, and the collected body of evidence," the preliminary conclusion states.  

Nevertheless, we do not intend to use this report to prove Voitov’s guilt or innocence. That is for the court to decide. Unfortunately, we have been deprived of the opportunity to witness firsthand which accusations have been confirmed in the trial, which has already lasted seven months.  

Our goal is to inform the public about this criminal case, the charges against Voitov, those involved, and the details of a crime initially classified as a "state secret"—but in reality, one that concerns "state money."  

Because the people have the right to know about their officials and their money.