The Urgut District Criminal Court heard the case against the former officer, Supreme Court spokesperson Aziz Abidov said.
According to the case materials, the man gained the trust of citizens by using his official uniform, service ID and official vehicle. He would then obtain expensive cars from their owners after promising to pay for them within a short period.
In some cases, he showed victims his official vehicle and left his service ID as a guarantee that he would return with the money. The victims trusted him because they believed they were dealing with a law enforcement officer.
Because the case involves a large number of victims, the criminal proceedings were divided into several parts. The court considered 26 episodes involving 10 victims in the latest hearing, with the damage caused in those cases estimated at about UZS 6 billion.
The defendant told the court that he had not acted alone and claimed that another woman was also involved in the scheme. He said he had taken part in transferring the vehicles and acted as an intermediary in the transactions, while the woman allegedly owed him a substantial sum of money.
During the hearing, he expressed remorse and asked forgiveness from the victims, his parents and the state.
The court found the former officer guilty under Article 168, Part 4, Clause “a” of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, which covers fraud committed in particularly large amounts. He was sentenced to eight years in prison to be served in a general-regime penal colony.
