Mayor assistant caught taking bribe in Namangan

An assistant to the mayor of Pop district in Namangan region has been detained while receiving a bribe of $1,000, the State Security Service reported.

According to the information, the mayor's assistant demanded $2,000 from a citizen born in 1988 in exchange for arranging, through his official connections, the privatization of a 30-sotix land plot that had been allocated for farming for a period of 49 years. He also promised to facilitate the preparation of cadastral documents for a residential building constructed on six sotix of the land.

During a special operation conducted by law enforcement officers, the mayor's assistant was detained while receiving an advance payment of $1,000 through an intermediary, putting an end to the illegal actions.

A criminal case has been opened against the individuals involved under Article 168, Part 2, Clause “b” (fraud), and Articles 28 and 211, Part 1 (bribery) of the Criminal Code. Investigative actions are currently underway.

In a separate case, an employee of the Pop district branch of the State Cadastre Chamber was detained while receiving $900 and 4.8 million soums. The employee had promised to register a 10-sotix plot of state reserve land and a house built on it as private property in the name of a citizen through official contacts.

A criminal case has been initiated against the cadastre employee under Article 168, Part 3 (fraud) of the Criminal Code, and an investigation is ongoing.

It is worth noting that earlier, the head of a customs post in Fergana region was detained for demanding $5,000 in exchange for allowing 80 mobile phones to be transported across the border without inspection or customs duties.