Ex-Mirzaabad district chief sentenced for abuse of power and forgery

According to court documents reviewed by Kun.uz, former Mirzaabad district governor Jonibek Yariev has been convicted of abuse of power. The court found that Yariev, who served as governor between 2020 and 2023, exceeded his official authority by unlawfully distributing houses constructed for families displaced by the Sardoba reservoir flooding. His actions caused significant damage to state and public interests.

A resolution adopted by the Mirzaabad District Council of People’s Deputies on 3 November 2020 established the procedure for handing over newly built multi-storey residential buildings to families affected by the Sardoba dam breach. Under this procedure, the final decision to allocate housing was to be made by the local council based on the review of relevant documents.

However, Yariev – who at that time also chaired the local council – distributed nearly ten houses without the required state-issued housing orders or council approval.

For instance, a resident of Yurtdoshi neighborhood in Sardoba district, identified as N.A., had been denied housing by the Sardoba District Council because their house was deemed habitable. Despite this, Yariev allocated one of the new apartments built for families whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.

Moreover, regulations stipulated that each damaged or destroyed household, regardless of how many families lived there, was entitled to only one new home. Yariev violated this rule as well. He also granted apartments to individuals whose flood-affected houses had already been fully repaired.

The Khavas District Criminal Court found Jonibek Yariev guilty under Article 205 (abuse of official power) part 2(a) and Article 209 (forgery by an official) part 2(a) of the Criminal Code. The court sentenced him to 2.5 years of correctional labor with a 20 percent deduction from his salary in favor of the state budget and deprived him of the right to hold managerial or financially responsible positions in state-owned enterprises, organizations, or institutions for two years. In addition, Yariev was fined 105 times the base calculation rate.

The Judicial Panel for Criminal Cases of the Syrdarya Regional Court upheld the lower court’s verdict in its cassation ruling on 17 October 2025.

For reference, a new governor was appointed to Mirzaabad district in November 2020. Yariev was dismissed from office in October 2023, with Sarvar Sultanov appointed as his successor.