Samarkand Deputy Prosecutor Detained in Bribery Case
A deputy prosecutor in Uzbekistan's Samarkand region has been detained on suspicion of bribery and abuse of office, with criminal proceedings underway.
Deputy Prosecutor in Samarkand Arrested for Bribery
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A deputy prosecutor from the Urgut district in Uzbekistan's Samarkand region has been arrested on allegations of accepting bribes and misusing his official authority, as reported by the State Security Service. This operation was conducted in collaboration with prosecutorial authorities.
The investigation reveals that the individual, who previously served at the Prosecutor's Office in the Pastdargom district, accepted a bribe totaling US$6,500 and 35 million soums via intermediaries.
Authorities claim that this payment was made in exchange for reducing the reported damage to the state from the illegal use of natural gas by a local business, decreasing it from 2.9 billion soums to 805.9 million soums.
Additionally, investigators assert that during the criminal inquiry involving the enterprise's officials, the suspect solicited an extra US$15,000 from the owner of the company.
In return, he allegedly offered to lower the assessed damages to between 150 million and 200 million soums and promised to leverage his connections within the judiciary to secure a lighter sentence for those implicated in the case.
A criminal case has been initiated.
The suspect is currently in pre-trial detention, and the investigation is still underway.