The President has returned the law on fines for concealing altered vehicle mileage

The President returned the law on fines for concealing altered car mileage

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has sent back to parliament the law on introducing amendments and additions to the Code of Administrative Responsibility (CoAR). This was announced on September 15 at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis by MP Gulshana Khudoyarova.

According to the committee, the document was adopted by the Legislative Chamber on January 27, then approved by the Senate in May and sent to the Presidential Administration. On September 8, the head of state returned it to both chambers of parliament, pointing to "a number of conceptual issues and objections."

The law provided for the introduction of administrative liability for failing to notify a car buyer that the odometer readings had been altered or that the odometer itself had been replaced.

To achieve this, it was proposed to supplement the CoAR with a new Article 178−2. The Senate emphasized that this norm was aimed at protecting car buyers from inaccurate mileage information and abuses during car sales.

The document also changed the procedure for reducing the period of deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle or the right to hunt.

One of the remarks is related to the fact that a new edition of the Code of Administrative Responsibility is currently being prepared.

As noted at the meeting, in accordance with the presidential decree of May 7, 2026, No. F-30, specialists from relevant ministries and departments, together with scientists, are developing a draft of the new edition of the CoAR.

It is planned to separate a distinct procedural part in it, where the norms and procedure of proceedings at each stage of case consideration will be detailed.

"Introducing repeated changes to the code regarding the procedure for proceedings in cases within a short period of time may lead to the incorrect formation of practice, the emergence of uncertainty, and various interpretations," Khudoyarova stated, citing the remarks.

The preparation of the new edition of the CoAR is also provided for by the "Justice — 2030" strategy approved in August: the Ministry of Justice, together with the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General's Office, has been instructed to develop the draft by April 1, 2027.

Separately, the committee focused on the liability provided by the law related to car odometer readings.

The president's remarks cite the experience of Germany, Poland, France, Canada, South Korea, and other states.

"Based on the experience of foreign countries, it was noted that it is advisable to establish administrative liability not for failing to notify the buyer that the odometer readings are incorrect, but for external influence on the odometer with the aim of altering its readings," the committee representative reported.

In other words, the remark concerns the very approach to the elements of the offense: it is proposed to link liability directly to tampering with the odometer, rather than to the subsequent failure to inform the buyer about the inaccuracy of its readings.

The committee stated that it is impossible to address the expressed remarks within the framework of the original concept of the bill.

In this regard, the Committee on Anti-Corruption and Judicial-Legal Issues proposed to withdraw the law from reconsideration by the Legislative Chamber.

The Speaker of the Legislative Chamber, Nuriddin Ismoilov, commented on the situation.

"The law passed both here and in the Senate. It cannot be said that there is something wrong with it. But a new edition of the Code of Administrative Responsibility is currently being prepared. There was a recommendation to consider these issues together with it, based on its principles," he said.

The MPs unanimously supported the proposal to withdraw the law from reconsideration.