Corruption still present in key public offices – Mirziyoyev

On July 29, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on measures to combat and prevent domestic corruption, according to the Presidential Press Service.

This is described as a highly urgent issue that affects the majority of the population. It was noted that 75 percent of corruption cases occur in cities and districts in the form of everyday (domestic) corruption. Consequently, at the March 5 meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council, the task of eliminating this problem was set. To this end, a Presidential Decree issued on April 21 established a Department for Analyzing Corruption Factors under the Prosecutor General’s Office. These factors are now being studied through regular visits to the regions.

Additionally, more than 200 specialists are engaged in research and analysis at the Law Enforcement Academy and the Research Center of the Prosecutor’s Office. In total, over 100,000 employees across law enforcement agencies are working to prevent corruption.

It was emphasized that, in many cases, the root causes of corruption are overlooked, and only its consequences are being addressed. Preventive measures remain insufficient. Bureaucratic hurdles and “corrupt loopholes” in the khokimiyat, cadastre, banking, and tax offices—where people interact most frequently—have not yet been eliminated.

Additional measures on this front were discussed during the presentation.

Currently, there are 43 oversight bodies operating in Uzbekistan. Compliance control departments have been established in all ministries. The first task is to improve their effectiveness. In this regard, the activities of internal inspections under ministries and agencies were also criticized.

The President stressed that the performance of state agencies should be evaluated not only by the reduction of corruption cases but by the extent to which corruption is prevented.

A transparent system for land allocation has been introduced. However, violations continue to occur in this area. It was emphasized that such actions must be completely eliminated by analyzing data from the cadastre, “Uzbekcosmos,” construction, and other relevant agencies.

The need to fully digitize the Prosecutor’s Office and establish “digital control” across all sectors was also highlighted.

At a recent meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council, recommendations were made to the responsible parliamentary committees on key issues such as: conducting fieldwork in neighborhoods to study the root causes of corruption, reducing direct contracts in public procurement, and fostering an anti-corruption culture among youth. During the presentation, responsible officials reported on the progress made in these areas.