Pop District ED Head Arrested for $160K Bribery Scheme
Two Officials in Uzbekistan Caught in Corruption Sting Operations
The head of the Pop district emergency department in Namangan region and the head of the rapid response unit of the Syrdarya region’s Saykhunabad district emergency department in Uzbekistan have both been caught in corruption sting operations, according to reports from UzA.
The district emergency department head in Namangan was caught red-handed with $160,000 in a sting operation. He had promised to secure the formal registration of a 2-hectare plot of land in the buyer’s name and obtain approval to construct cottage-style houses on the site through his influential connections. The land had been allocated to his family members earlier in February for a greenhouse project, but he used his position to promise the transfer of the land and construction permissions in exchange for the large sum of money. This case has been opened under the Criminal Code for fraud and bribery, and an investigation is currently underway.
In a separate incident, the head of the rapid response unit in Syrdarya region was caught taking $7,000 in a sting operation. He had promised a resident of Guliston employment at the city’s emergency department using his connections. This official is also being investigated under the Criminal Code for fraud and bribery.
These cases add to the recent string of corruption-related incidents in Uzbekistan, with an officer from the Samarkand regional internal affairs department also being detained earlier with $10,000. The government continues to crack down on corruption within its ranks, sending a strong message that such actions will not be tolerated.
