Tashkent city administration legal consultant caught with $70,000 in bribery case

According to authorities, the legal consultant promised to expedite the 8.8 billion UZS compensation payment, which had been approved by a court, in exchange for 10% of the total amount, equivalent to $70,000. The consultant reportedly acted through an intermediary, a 1979-born associate, and threatened to file a cassation appeal on behalf of the Tashkent city administration to reduce the compensation amount if the bribe was not paid.

During a sting operation, the intermediary was caught red-handed while accepting the $70,000 from the foreign national. Upon interrogation, he admitted that he had already given $50,000 to the legal consultant and planned to deliver an additional $15,000 while keeping $5,000 as a commission for his role. The legal consultant was subsequently detained while receiving the $15,000 bribe.

Investigations further revealed that $10,000 of the bribe money had been given to a senior specialist at the Tashkent City Department of Economy and Finance to accelerate the compensation process. Both the legal consultant and the senior specialist were detained, with $40,000 and $10,000, respectively, voluntarily surrendered as evidence.

Other corruption cases uncovered

Authorities also exposed multiple corruption cases across different sectors:

• A Surkhandarya regional gas supply official demanded $400 and 500,000 UZS from a truck driver in exchange for destroying a violation report related to damage to a gas pipeline. He was caught accepting 3.9 million UZS and $100, with prior acceptance of 500,000 UZS also confirmed.
• A leading inspector from the Jizzakh Regional Cadastral Agency was arrested for taking a $400 bribe in exchange for reducing a 75 million UZS fine and formalizing documents for an illegally built house.
• A cadastral engineer from the Kashkadarya Regional Cadastral Department conspired with a local farmer to illegally transfer land ownership. He demanded 585 million UZS, of which 17,000 dollars had already been paid before his arrest.
• A state enforcement officer from Karshi was arrested after demanding bribes to process a 554 million UZS restitution payment. He was caught receiving an additional 2 million UZS, following a prior acceptance of 2 million UZS and $100.
• An inspector from the Sirdaryo Energy Distribution Network took a 7 million UZS bribe to reconnect a farmer's property to the electrical grid after it had been illegally disconnected. He was arrested while receiving the payment.

All suspects are now under criminal investigation, with legal proceedings underway.