The key facts

  • The deputy khokim of Tashkent district is suspected of demanding $25,000 from an entrepreneur for allocating 1 hectare of land through an auction.
  • The detention was carried out by the SGB department for the Tashkent region; the official's name is not disclosed.
  • A case has been opened under Part 4 Article 168 ('g') and Part 3 Article 211 ('a') with Article 28 of the Criminal Code; investigative actions are underway.

Detention of the Deputy Khokim

The State Security Service of Uzbekistan reported the detention of the deputy khokim of the Tashkent district of the Tashkent region while receiving $25,000 from an entrepreneur. The official's name is not disclosed. According to the SGB, officers of the service's department for the Tashkent region carried out an operation during which the suspect was detained with material evidence at the moment of receiving the demanded sum. The Russian-language version of the newspaper Gazeta.uz notes that the detention took place in the official's office; the published footage shows operatives entering the khokimiyat building, going up the stairs and entering the office.

The Essence of the Suspicions

According to the investigation's version, the deputy khokim promised the entrepreneur to arrange, through acquaintances in the state assets management system, the auction listing and winning of one hectare of land held on the khokimiyat's balance sheet. The land was needed to create an industrial complex for the production of construction machinery and composite doors. For this, the official, as the SGB asserts, demanded $25,000.

Criminal Case

A criminal case has been opened against the deputy khokim under subparagraph 'g' of Part 4 of Article 168 of the Criminal Code (fraud on an especially large scale; the Russian-language version of Gazeta.uz specifies — using one's official position) and under subparagraph 'a' of Part 3 of Article 211 (participation in giving a bribe on an especially large scale) via Article 28 (types of accomplices in crimes). Investigative actions are currently underway.