SSS detains public officials demanding $7.3 million for illegal land sale in Chirchiq

The case was exposed as part of nationwide “Safe and healthy country” preventive operations, during which law enforcement agencies intensified efforts to identify large-scale corruption in land allocation.

According to the investigation, the group consisted of a senior specialist at the Tashkent regional administration’s Department of Investments, Industry and Trade, a notary assistant from Tashkent city, a realtor born in 1980, and another individual born in 1996. Working in collusion, they allegedly gained the trust of a citizen who planned to launch a business.

The suspects reportedly offered to formalize the transfer of an 8.5-hectare plot registered under a wholesale trading company for $6.8 million. They also demanded an additional $500,000 to secure technical conditions and permits for electricity, gas, and sewage connections, as well as approvals for construction work — bringing the total to $7.3 million.

A joint operation involving officers from the SSS, the Interior Ministry, and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes resulted in the suspects being apprehended with part of the requested funds.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 168, part 4(a) (large-scale fraud) and Articles 28 and 211, part 3(a) (taking a bribe in collusion) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code. Investigative procedures are ongoing.