People come into power to steal.

Power as a Means of Enrichment: The Senate of Uzbekistan Discussed the Anti-Corruption Report

The Senate of the Oliy Majlis reviewed the National Report on Anti-Corruption in Uzbekistan for 2025, presented by Akmal Burkhanov, Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency.

After analyzing the data presented, the Senate Committee noted that, despite the established legal and institutional framework, in some areas, work remains primarily aimed at eliminating the consequences of corruption rather than its systemic causes.

"The analysis shows that despite the creation of a solid legal and institutional framework for combating corruption in the country, in certain areas, the work carried out is still primarily aimed at eliminating the consequences of corruption," stated Abdulhakim Eshmuratov, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judicial, Legal, and Anti-Corruption Issues.

In particular, according to the Committee, mechanisms for the early detection and elimination of systemic causes of corruption, internal control, risk assessment, and managerial accountability are not yet producing the expected results.

Senator Abdulkhakim Eshmuratov, citing court decisions, reported that 7,517 people were prosecuted for corruption-related crimes in Uzbekistan in 2025, an increase of 2.2% (163 people) compared to 7,354 in 2024. Damages to state interests from these crimes exceeded 2.9 trillion soums (compared to 2.81 trillion soums in 2024).

The highest number of employees prosecuted were in the preschool and school education system—580 people (compared to 654 in 2024). In local khokimiyats, this figure was 497 people (versus 106 in 2024), 404 in healthcare (versus 342 in 2024), 245 in commercial banks (versus 271 in 2024), and 161 in higher education institutions (versus 90 in 2024).

According to the head of the committee, the increase in the number of detected corruption crimes may be due, among other things, to increased activity by law enforcement agencies. At the same time, the committee cited the ineffectiveness of the internal control structures of ministries and agencies as one of the reasons.

**"Compliance is limited to reporting"**

Separate criticism was leveled at internal anti-corruption control units (compliance structures). The Senate committee stated that in some organizations, compliance structures, created primarily for corruption prevention, are not actually fulfilling this function.

"This indicates that in some organizations, compliance structures created to prevent corruption do not function as a preventative tool, but are limited to reporting," the committee concluded.

The Senate recalled that the activities of internal anti-corruption units of government agencies had already been criticized at a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council on March 5, 2025.

During the discussion, Akmal Burkhanov, Head of the Anti-Corruption Agency, also acknowledged the problem with the qualifications of employees in such units, particularly in regional structures. According to him, a presidential decree dated December 30, 2025, established minimum qualification requirements for compliance specialists for the first time.

The head of the unit must have at least four years of experience in the relevant field, and the employee must have at least three years. Knowledge and experience in law enforcement, finance, or economics are also required. "Based on these requirements, we had to dismiss more than 200 employees from compliance control departments," the agency's head stated.

A certification system for employees of these departments is also being introduced. Without the appropriate qualification certificate, it will be impossible to work in compliance departments. Employees will be required to undergo certification every three years.

"Starting September 1, we will conduct certification of employees of all compliance departments in the republic and assess whether they meet the qualification requirements," the agency representative stated.

Furthermore, the standard regulations for internal control departments are currently being revised. It is planned to specify their responsibilities for insufficient work to prevent corruption.

The Agency is also working on a regulatory document stipulating the liability of not only the heads of compliance departments but also the top officials of ministries and agencies if the necessary anti-corruption measures are not taken.

Furthermore, by the end of the year, the Agency plans to expand the use of digital tools to combat corruption. The "Raqamli Compliance" (Digital Compliance) system is already integrated with the databases of 82 government agencies and organizations. Artificial intelligence technologies will be gradually introduced to automatically detect corruption risks in public procurement.

In particular, the system will be able to automatically verify connections and conflicts of interest between contracting authorities and procurement participants. AI is also planned to be used to identify inflated initial prices, artificially split procurement lots, and technical requirements that restrict competition. If suspicious indicators are detected, the system will automatically send notifications to responsible employees and compliance departments.

Furthermore, a "Map of Corruption Risks in Public Procurement" is being developed. It will cover the main corruption risks, their causes, and automated mechanisms to reduce the impact of human error.

Uzbekistan has lost ground in the Corruption Perceptions Index for the second year in a row. The country fell to 124th place out of 182 in the 2025 index, losing another point compared to the previous ranking. The Republic received 31 points out of a maximum possible 100.