Law enforcement officials in the Bukhara, Tashkent regions, and the city of Tashkent have been apprehended while accepting bribes, according to a report by the State Security Service (SGB) press service.
An officer from the Bukhara Regional Department of Internal Affairs allegedly promised to leverage connections to halt a portion of a criminal case against a suspect. In exchange, the officer demanded $13,000. During an operation conducted by the SGB department for the Bukhara region, in collaboration with internal affairs bodies and the prosecutor’s office, the officer was caught red-handed while receiving the money.
In the Tashkent region, a rank-and-file officer from the Angren City Security Department of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Tashkent region, in collusion with a deputy unit commander, allegedly promised to secure employment for a resident of the Akkurgan district in the security department for $1,500, using official connections. The officer was apprehended by the SGB and the prosecutor’s office while receiving a $1,000 advance.
In another instance, a senior inspector from the passport and visa department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of Migration and оформление персональных документов (Registration of Personal Documents) at the Tashkent International Airport was arrested. Exploiting their official position, the inspector received a $400 bribe for expediting the processing of a minor’s accompaniment stamp in a foreign passport for travel abroad.
The preliminary investigation revealed that, since the beginning of the year, the inspector had received $300–$700 from 42 foreign nationals in the country for processing exit visas, and $200–$400 from 8 Uzbek citizens for expediting the processing of accompaniment stamps.
Criminal cases have been initiated against these “protectors of the law,” and they have been placed in pre-trial detention. Investigative actions are underway.