Tashkent mayor orders anti-corruption probe into 10 district mayors over hidden orders

Tashkent Mayor Shavkat Umurzakov has initiated an internal disciplinary investigation into the district mayors of 10 out of the capital's 12 districts, as per a directive signed on Monday.

The inquiry targets the following district mayors: Nurilla Abdurakhmanov of Bektemir, Anvar Sayfiddinov of Mirabad, Bakhodir Gaibnazarov of Mirzo Ulugbek, Kudratilla Tulyaganov of Olmazor, Davron Ismatov of Sergeli, Bunyod Mamadjanov of Uchtepa, Saidkakhor Kholkhujaev of Chilonzor, Bobur Abubakirov of Shaykhantahur, Abrorkhuja Saidaliev of Yunusabad, and Bakhtiyor Rahmankulov of Yashnabad.

This investigation stems from an official motion submitted by the Anti-Corruption Agency on July 22. The internal probe aims to verify the facts and examine the arguments presented in the agency's document. The focus of the inquiry is on allegations that public access to mayoral decisions and decrees was unduly restricted by improperly omitting them from the E-Qaror electronic registry.

A city commission has been established to conduct this inquiry, led by Shukhrat Turdikulov, who heads the Compliance and Internal Anti-Corruption Control Department of the Tashkent Municipality. The panel also comprises the mayor’s chief of staff, the chief of the human resources department, the director of the legal department, and a representative from the public grievances division.

The commission is tasked with conducting an "objective and high-quality" review and formulating final conclusions based on its findings. It is also authorized to engage external specialists from other state organizations and agencies if deemed necessary. Mirmahammad Mirkhamidov, Tashkent’s deputy mayor responsible for compliance and internal anti-corruption control, has been assigned to oversee the implementation of the mayoral directive.

This probe occurs amidst increased scrutiny of transparency in local governance. In the first half of this year alone, regional and municipal administrations across Uzbekistan withheld 24,200 official documents from public view, representing 28.5% of all executive decrees. Among these concealed documents were 692 funding decisions allocating 1.5 trillion soums (approximately $125 million) to projects, primarily in the construction sector, despite containing no legally protected or classified information.