Customs inspector wrongfully imprisoned in Fergana acquitted after 15 years

A customs inspector in Fergana who had been accused of taking bribes has been acquitted after 15 years, according to Aziz Obidov, press secretary of the Supreme Court.

It was reported that the inspector, who worked at the “Fergana” customs post under the Fergana Regional Customs Department, had been taken into custody as a preventive measure on charges of bribery.

Investigators alleged that from April 2009 to January 2010, the inspector and his colleagues had repeatedly accepted bribes in exchange for allowing potatoes and apples to be transported from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan in Ford and Mercedes vehicles without customs clearance or inspection.

The inspector was also accused of accepting 160,000 soum for allowing fruit products to be exported from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan without customs control, as well as receiving 5,000 soum per trip between February and April 2010 for illegally transporting potatoes and apples from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan and carrots in the opposite direction, totaling 120,000 soum.

As a result, under the verdict of the Fergana Regional Criminal Court dated November 5, 2010, the inspector was found guilty under Article 210, Part 3, Clause “b” of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to four years of imprisonment and banned from working in customs authorities for three years.

The inspector later filed a cassation appeal with the Fergana Regional Court, presenting evidence proving his innocence. During the cassation review, the former inspector’s innocence was confirmed.

It was established that he had begun working at the “Fergana” customs post only on June 1, 2009, meaning he had not been employed there during April and May 2009. This fact demonstrated the unlawfulness of part of the charges against him.

Based on these and other legal grounds, the Fergana Regional Court overturned the November 5, 2010 verdict and acquitted the inspector.

The court ruling also explained his right to seek compensation for material, moral, and other damages in accordance with Articles 304–312 of the Criminal Procedure Code.