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Three separate criminal cases against senior former Uzbek officials — including a deputy interior minister, the head of the state assets agency and a security service internal-security chief — are being heard in closed sessions at district courts across Tashkent, with charges spanning embezzlement, abuse of office and bribery.
The MIA Case: 186 Billion Soums and Fake Imports
The largest of the three proceedings involves Bekmurod Abdullayev, a major-general who served as deputy minister of internal affairs and head of the Public Security Department from April 2021 until his dismissal on 3 November 2025. He was detained in January 2026 on suspicion of large-scale theft of state property; reports later circulated that he had been released on bail. He now stands trial alongside 29 co-defendants before the Yangihayot district criminal court, sitting in the Yunusabad district courthouse.
The charges are brought under sub-clauses (a), (v) and (g) of part 3 of Article 167 of the Criminal Code — embezzlement or misappropriation — and sub-clauses (a) and (b) of part 2 of Article 205, covering abuse of official authority, among other articles. At a presidential meeting it was stated that 186 billion soums in budget funds had been misappropriated through procurement in the Interior Ministry system. The alleged scheme, as reported by Daryo, involved traffic lights and other road equipment installed in Tashkent and regional centres being presented as imported goods while domestically produced items were actually supplied.
State Assets Agency: A Land Plot Sold at Half Its Value
A second case, before the Mirobod district criminal court, concerns Akmal Ortikov, the former director of the Agency for State Asset Management, and six co-defendants. They face charges under the same embezzlement articles of the Criminal Code. The president had previously announced a sweeping audit of Uzbekneftegaz and the State Asset Management Agency that uncovered billion-soum thefts. Among the specific findings: agency officials put a land plot with a market value of at least 250 billion soums to a closed auction and sold it for 120 billion soums — less than half its assessed worth.
SGB Bribery Case Tied to South Korea Labour Scheme
The third proceeding, at the Bektemir district criminal court, involves Alijon Ashurov, former head of the State Security Service’s internal security directorate, and three co-defendants. They are charged under sub-clause (a) of part 3 of Article 210 — bribery — and related articles. The case is linked to a large-scale fraud involving the placement of Uzbek workers in South Korea. An organised criminal group allegedly included former officials of the External Labour Migration Agency and private employment agencies; the total sum of money unlawfully obtained is reported to exceed several tens of millions of dollars.
All three trials are being conducted behind closed doors on the grounds that case materials contain information about private life and other legally protected data. Courts have said further details will be released once proceedings conclude.