The appeal court in the high-profile criminal case against former Deputy Governor of Andijan Region Botirjon Khamroev has concluded. By the decision of the Tashkent City Court, the former official was released from prison due to the full compensation for the material damage caused. The 7-year prison sentence imposed on him was replaced with a lighter sentence.
Criminal scheme: Loan funds and an organized group
According to court documents, Botirjon Khamroev was accused as a member of a large organized group of about 30 people. This criminal network included many officials of the Andijan regional department of JSCB "Agrobank" and private entrepreneurs.
- Plan: One of the local LLCs aimed to gain illegal income by obtaining preferential loans allocated for the construction of greenhouses.
- Hamroev's role: As a representative of the former "acting governor" of the local government, he put pressure on bank officials, gave instructions to direct funds only to a certain company and speed up the loan process.
Change of verdict and sentence
By the decision of the Yunusabad District Court of the Criminal Investigation Department on July 8, 2025, Hamroev was found guilty under Article 167 of the Criminal Code (embezzlement or embezzlement) and sentenced to 7 years. However, the situation changed at the appeal stage.
- Compensation for damage: Since the material damage caused by the crime was fully compensated, it was taken into account that the penalty of deprivation of liberty could not be applied in accordance with the relevant articles of the Criminal Code.
- New sentence: The court panel changed the prison sentence to 2.5 years of correctional labor (with the condition of collecting 20% of the salary from the state).
- Ozodlik: The time Khamroev has been in prison since October 2024 was considered to have been served, and he was immediately released.
Activities and restrictions
Botirjon Khamroev served as deputy governor of the region from 2019 until his arrest. Although the court released him from prison, the sentence of deprivation of certain rights remained in effect:
- He will now not be able to hold any position in the local government system for 3 years.
A total of 29 people were convicted in this criminal case, and the verdicts against 24 of them were reviewed and changed at the appeals instance.
In your opinion, how effective is the system of releasing officials from prison in the fight against corruption, provided that the damage caused to the state is compensated?
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