Six suspects indicted in Andijan over UZS 35.1 billion tax cashback scam

A pre-trial investigation conducted by the department’s regional branch in Andijan revealed that a group of six individuals, alongside several accomplices, systematically conspired to exploit the national Soliq mobile application. The co-conspirators established nine shell limited liability companies (LLCs) registered under the names of three individuals.

During March and April 2026, these companies engaged in no legitimate financial or commercial activity. Instead, the suspects generated fake electronic invoices detailing fictional product deliveries between the firms worth a total of UZS 1.1 trillion. To obscure the illicit nature of the operations, the group falsified accounting entries to show revenue generation and printed thousands of fraudulent retail receipts.

These fake receipts were used to siphon off UZS 35.1 billion in state funds under the guise of legitimate consumer cashback rewards distributed to 100,458 users via the Soliq platform.

The investigation has also brought the conduct of local regulators into question. Responsible officials within the Andijan Regional Tax Administration reportedly failed to take preventive action, such as canceling the value-added tax (VAT) certificates of the implicated firms despite the highly suspicious UZS 1.1 trillion invoice volume. Furthermore, the tax authorities did not report these anomalous operations to the department for further verification.

A criminal case has been officially launched under multiple sections of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, including Article 167 (embezzlement or misappropriation), Article 205 (abuse of power or official authority), and Article 228 (forgery, sale, or use of documents, stamps, seals, and blanks). The case file has been transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office for formal prosecution.