According to a court ruling reviewed by Kun.uz, the 38-year-old defendant, identified as I.J., was head of a department at the committee. In April and May 2026, a former neighbor of his, an Afghan businessman, approached him for help in obtaining permission to build a residential apartment block on the site of the Diplomat restaurant in Termez.
The businessman reportedly owned a 50-sotix (0.5-hectare) plot near the Surkhandarya regional administration building and wanted to replace the restaurant with a multi-storey residential building. However, regional governor Ulugbek Kasimov had refused to approve the project.
The official knew that a secretary named Komil worked for presidential aide B. Mavlonov. On June 2, 2026, at around 6:30 p.m., he called Kasimov and introduced himself as “Komil from the Administration”.
He then asked the governor to help secure approval for a foreign company's construction plans on the site, which was reportedly to be allocated under a permanent-use arrangement.
During the conversation, the official told the governor that an entrepreneur wanted to build an apartment block on the site of the Diplomat restaurant and needed his consent.
Kasimov replied that he was already familiar with the matter, as the Afghan businessman had previously approached him directly. The governor explained that he had declined the request because administrative buildings belonging to law enforcement agencies were located next to the restaurant.
He added that he would be willing to help the businessman find another plot in Termez for the residential development.
The defendant acknowledged in court that he had introduced himself to the governor as Komil from the Presidential Administration, although he denied the charges against him.
In his testimony, he said that the Afghan businessman had contacted him in early May and asked him to speak to the governor on his behalf. The official agreed to try to obtain the governor's approval and subsequently made the call.
He also said that he had obtained Kasimov's phone number during a business trip and was not personally acquainted with the governor.
The incident consisted of a single telephone conversation between the official and the regional governor.
The Chilanzar District Criminal Court found I.J. guilty under Article 165, Part 1 (extortion), and Article 219, Part 2 (coercion of a representative of authority), of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code.
