At a time when our country is waging a relentless fight against corruption and putting an end to the illegal sale of state-owned land, major criminal acts have been exposed in the valley. During a series of operational measures conducted by the State Security Service (SSS) in the Andijan region, several officials who were secretly selling land plots and preparing forged documents were caught red-handed.
Price of land by the canal: a bribe of over $40,000
The first shocking case occurred in the water management system. It was revealed that the head of the 3rd hydro-section of the 2nd Shahrikhon department under the Fergana Valley Main Canal Operation Administration abused his official position. He gained the trust of a local citizen who wanted to start a livestock business and offered him a spot in the special protected zone of the Great Fergana Canal, a 30-sotikh plot of empty land, promising to formalize a long-term lease.
However, in exchange for this "service," he demanded a bribe in cash of $40,500. The corrupt official was caught at the scene by SSS officers and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office just as he was receiving the first part of the requested money, amounting to $20,000, in cash.
Criminal chain and the school principal's "business"
Operational investigations revealed that a group of individuals stood behind this illegal scheme. It turned out that another high-ranking department head of the Fergana Valley Main Canal Operation Administration was directly involved in this criminal chain. He was caught in the SSS net while receiving his share of the agreed money, amounting to $3,000, from his accomplice. The case did not end there: a regular employee of the same hydro-section, who was currently using the land plot under an official lease, also demanded an additional $19,000 from the victim in exchange for giving up the land and transferring it to the new buyer.
Another case of fraud and corruption was exposed in the Oltinkol district. The head, or director, of one of the local educational institutions (a school or college) also engaged in land trafficking. He demanded a massive 1.1-hectare land plot that was under the institution's management and intended for future building or sports field construction, in exchange for certifying (signing) the transfer documents to another person, $15,000. The head of the educational institution was arrested by law enforcement officers while receiving $10,000 as a bribe from the buyer, and was handcuffed.
Currently, criminal cases have been initiated regarding both exposed incidents under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and investigations are being conducted strictly. The corrupt officials who plundered public property will soon answer before the law.
In your opinion, will strengthening penalties for officials attempting to illegally sell state and public land help completely eradicate corruption in this system?
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