Mechanic arrested for accepting $3,400 bribe to work in ambulance in Surkhandarya

An ambulance station mechanic in the Zharkurgan district of Surkhandarya region was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for taking $3,400 in bribes from citizens in exchange for employment and spending the money on personal needs and car repairs.

It turned out that I.M., born in 1970, worked as a mechanic at the Zharkurgan district ambulance station. He demanded bribes from citizens looking for work, promising to help them through his high-ranking acquaintances.

In May 2024, I.M. offered a citizen he met through one of his villagers $1,000 to hire him as a driver at the ambulance station within 4-5 months. The victim gave the agreed amount on the same day.

Later, the mechanic made a similar offer to three more citizens. One of them was a woman who worked as a cleaner at the station, and she gave I.M. $1,000 to get her son a job as a driver.

According to the woman's testimony in court, the mechanic asked her for $1,000 to get her son a job and said that she had resolved the matter with a high-ranking acquaintance. She also said, "I will not take a single dollar of this $1,000 myself, the head of the region will take it. I have already talked to the head, let the New Year pass, and in January I will get your son a job as a driver."

The woman took the $1,000 from her brother and handed it to I.M., and also gave copies of her son's documents and photos. However, the promised work was not carried out. The victim stated in court that she initially promised that "the order will be issued soon," and then she kept saying, "I will sell my muravey, sell part of my plot, get a loan, and return the money I received."

Another citizen said that he would give the money after the order for employment was issued, but I.M. did not agree to this. He insisted that the $1,000 should be given to the "big guy" first, and the order would be issued after that.

Despite this, none of the citizens were hired after the promised deadlines passed. When they asked for their money back, I.M. urged them to wait, saying that he would resolve the issue soon and that he would resolve the issue.

In January 2026, one of the victims appealed to the mahalla chairman. After that, I.M. appeared before the chairman and promised to return the $1,000 he had received by February 1. He said that he would sell a truck or part of his land for this, but did not return the money.

In court, I.M. pleaded guilty. He stated that he did not contact either the branch director or the personnel department about the issue of employing citizens. He said that he spent the money he received on the contract of his son and daughter-in-law, on repairing his car, paying off debts, and on personal needs. He also stated that he received $200 from one of the citizens, not $400.

The Kumkurgan District Court for Criminal Cases found I.M. guilty of Article 168, Part 3, Subparagraphs "b, v" (fraud) and Articles 28, 211, Part 2, Subparagraph "a" (attempting to bribe) of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

Earlier, a school principal in Khorezm was sentenced to 3 years in prison for accepting 14 million soums in exchange for a job. It was also reported that a school principal in Kashkadarya was sentenced to 5 years in prison for accepting a $500 bribe less than two months after his appointment.