Tax inspector and forensic expert detained for bribery

A tax inspector in the Khorezm region and an employee of a forensic examination center in the Kashkadarya region have been detained for accepting bribes, according to a report from the State Security Service of Uzbekistan.

In the Khorezm region, the state tax inspector of the Yangiarik District Tax Inspectorate was caught red-handed while receiving \$900 through intermediaries. The bribe was allegedly in exchange for liquidating a limited liability company engaged in the production and wholesale of knitwear products under the guise of bankruptcy, without collecting its outstanding tax debts.

A criminal case has been initiated against the tax inspector under Article 168, Part 3, Clause "c" of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (fraud by abuse of official position), and an investigation is currently underway.

In a separate incident in Kashkadarya, a resident of Yakkabag district—born in 1985 and previously convicted—was detained while receiving \$1,500 from a farm manager. The money was reportedly intended to resolve a case involving 99 million sums in damages caused by the farm's illegal connection to the water supply system. The scheme involved manipulation of findings by experts from a relevant organization.

The investigation revealed further involvement, and an expert from the Kashkadarya regional branch of the Republican Forensic Center named after Kh. Sulaymonova was subsequently detained while accepting the same bribe.

Criminal proceedings have been launched against both the citizen and the forensic expert under Article 168, Part 3, Clause “c” (fraud by taking advantage of official position) and Article 28, Part 1, Article 211 (bribery) of the Criminal Code. Investigative measures are ongoing.

It is worth noting that the State Security Service previously detained three lawyers in the Kashkadarya region on charges of bribery and fraud.