Two policemen were arrested in separate large-scale bribery cases. One officer allegedly demanded money in exchange for helping a former policeman under investigation to get a more lenient sentence, while the other promised to help reduce a convict’s jail term. One of the cases was uncovered through a call to the State Security Service (SSS) hotline that had been launched recently.
The complaint came from a resident of Tashkent province, who blew the whistle on the local officer abusing official duties to commit an offence.
According to the report, the officer had demanded $20,000 from close relatives of a former police officer under investigation for multiple crimes. On May 16, during a joint operation conducted by the SSS and the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response Units, the officer was caught red-handedly while receiving $20,000 from a man identified as A.B., 30.
In another incident on May 17, during a joint operation by the SSS, the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Attorney General’s Office, and the Rapid Response Unit, another officer of the Yangiyul district police department in Tashkent province was caught accepting a bribe.
This officer had promised to help reduce the prison sentence of a convict – who had been sentenced to 8 years and 5 months– through acquaintances in the Tashkent City Court. The officer was caught red-handedly while accepting a $24,000 bribe from an acquaintance of the convict, identified as “N.N.”
Based on the evidence gathered in both cases, the Tashkent City Attorney’s Office opened criminal proceedings under Article 168 (Part 4) and Article 28 in conjunction with Article 211 (Part 3) of the Criminal Code, with investigations ongoing.
