Ismoilov was sentenced to eight years in prison on July 13, 2026, by the Pop district criminal court in Namangan region. He appealed the ruling, and the appellate court has now replaced the prison term with a suspended sentence.
The Namangan regional courts’ press service said the appellate court took into account measures taken to compensate for the damage caused in the criminal case. Part of the amount had been deposited in cash into a deposit account, while property belonging to Ismoilov was to be transferred to a bank’s balance sheet at the bank’s request. Seized assets had also been sold, with the proceeds directed towards covering the damage.
The court upheld the conviction under Article 167, Part 3(a) of the Criminal Code, which concerns embezzlement or misappropriation, but suspended the execution of the sentence under Article 72. Ismoilov was released from custody in the courtroom following the ruling.
Odilkhon Ismoilov’s career
Born in 1977 in Namangan region, Odilkhon Ismoilov held several positions in Uzbekistan’s Muslim religious administration.
In 2010, he became deputy chief imam of Tashkent. From 2011 until July 2018, he served as chief imam of Shaykhantakhur district and imam-khatib of the Sheikh Zayniddin Mosque.
In 2019, Ismoilov began working with the Waqf Charitable Public Foundation. In February that year, he was appointed imam-khatib of the Khoja Alambardor Mosque in Tashkent’s Shaykhantakhur district. He stepped down in September 2019 at his own request, citing health problems.
