A former customs officer acquitted after 12 years has secured reinstatement to his position
Exonerated after 12 years, a former customs officer successfully seeks reinstatement
Khusan Nigmatov, a former inspector at the Navoi customs post who was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison in 2014, has achieved exoneration, compensation for damages, and reinstatement to his job. The court found the termination order illegal and ordered him restored to his former position or an equivalent one.
Nigmatov served in the customs authorities from May 2009 to February 2013. He held the position of inspector in the customs inspection, registration, and cargo clearance group at the Navoi border post of the Tashkent Regional Customs Administration.
In November 2014, the regional court found him guilty under several articles of the Criminal Code related to customs violations, official misconduct, and accepting bribes. He was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison. Even before the verdict was announced, during the investigation, Nigmatov was dismissed from his post.
He continued to maintain his innocence and, together with his lawyer, appealed to the Supreme Court. On January 15, 2026, the Judicial Panel for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court overturned the verdict of November 19, 2014, and the appellate ruling of August 9, 2016, regarding Nigmatov. He was acquitted under Article 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Following his exoneration, Nigmatov gained the right to claim compensation for material and moral damages. By ruling of the Tashkent Regional Court, he was awarded 576.3 million sums in unpaid wages and the return of 15.4 million sums previously seized for state revenue. In total, the amount reached 591.7 million sums. In addition, the Uchtepa District Inter-District Civil Court ordered the collection of 350 million sums in his favor as compensation for moral harm.
After this, Nigmatov applied to the Customs Committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance requesting reinstatement to his former position. However, in February 2026, he was refused and told that he needed to go to court to be reinstated.
The former inspector filed a lawsuit with the Uchtepa District Inter-District Civil Court. He asked to declare illegal and set aside the portion of the Customs Committee Chairman's order dated January 16, 2014, regarding his dismissal, reinstate him to work, and include the period of forced absence in his work history.
The court took into account the provisions of the Criminal Procedure and Labor Codes, which provide for the reinstatement to work of individuals illegally convicted or removed from office in connection with criminal prosecution. Ultimately, Nigmatov's lawsuit was granted.
The court declared the dismissal order illegal and ruled that Nigmatov be reinstated to the position of inspector or an equivalent one. The period of forced absence will be included in his work history.
Earlier at the Navoi post, an attempt to illegally export 240 thousand dollars from Uzbekistan was thwarted. Two female citizens of a neighboring state taped the currency to their legs with adhesive tape to conceal it from customs control and avoid declaration.