Judges and their family members may be required to declare assets

In Uzbekistan, a system for declaring the assets of judges and their family members may be introduced. The proposal was presented to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on February 12 during a briefing by the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council.

Article 9 of the law on the Supreme Judicial Council requires its chairman to submit an annual report to the president on factors hindering the administration of justice and the state of anti-corruption efforts in the judicial system.

In his December 26, 2025 address to parliament and the people of Uzbekistan, the president stressed that corruption is a betrayal of reforms and declared an “emergency situation” in the fight against corruption this year.

Therefore, the courts, as a separate branch of state power, must become a model of a corruption-free system.

The Supreme Judicial Council is directly responsible for ensuring judicial independence and protecting judges from external pressure. In 2025, a separate decree granted the council new powers. The Academy of Justice was established under the council to fundamentally improve the training of highly qualified personnel for the judicial system.

Last year, the council appointed 135 candidates to judicial positions for the first time and reappointed 286 judges. A corps of 241 investigative judges was also formed.

During the reporting period, the powers of 59 judges were terminated early. Nineteen judges were dismissed for violating the judicial oath and the Code of Judicial Ethics, three judges were prosecuted, and 58 judges were demoted. Thirty-three judges whose terms expired were deemed unfit for further judicial positions, while 266 judges faced disciplinary action.

Last year, five submissions were sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office regarding interference in judicial activities. The council also created a feature on its official website for reporting violations of judicial immunity.

More than 6,000 orders issued by regional court chairpersons were reviewed, and 231 orders were found to have assigned 314 judges duties unrelated to the administration of justice. Measures were taken to eliminate these violations.

To relieve judges of non-core duties, international best practices will be studied to establish a “judicial administration” institution responsible for staffing, logistics, and organizational matters.

It was also proposed to create a Judicial Disciplinary Board to ensure an impartial process for imposing disciplinary sanctions on judges.

Other initiatives include introducing asset declarations for judges and their family members, implementing a compliance control system to prevent corruption among court staff, and creating transparent recruitment procedures for court employees.

Additionally, as part of state policy to support women, the issue of ensuring gender equality in the judiciary was discussed, including preparations to mark International Women Judges Day on March 10.

The president supported the proposals and provided recommendations to continue systemic measures aimed at strengthening judicial independence, ensuring judicial immunity, and removing obstacles to the administration of justice.