The court in Tashkent has ruled that the case against former agriculture minister of Uzbekistan Aziz Voitov and 49 others will be held in closed sessions, Daryo reported.
The defendants are accused of theft by misappropriation or embezzlement, fraud, evasion of taxes or fees, bribery and other crimes.
At the hearing on 12 September, a representative of the Agency for Agricultural Services under the Ministry of Agriculture Gafur Mahkamov, acting as a civil plaintiff, requested the court to close the proceedings.
One journalist present at the hearing said that the agency representative appeared in court for the first time.
Former minister Aziz Voitov. Photo: Daryo.
Judge Sardor Sadikov asked other process participants to share their opinion. Several lawyers objected the decision, saying that, according to the Criminal Procedure Code, hearings can be closed only in cases involving state secrets or sexual violence.
Other lawyers left the decision to the court’s discretion, while most of the defendants opposed closing the session.
After the deliberation, the judge granted the request for closed hearings during the entire process, citing the disclosure of information that could be used for official purposes only.
Following the judge’s appeal to journalists for understanding, media representatives walked out of the courtroom.
They did the same at the previous hearing after the judge banned taking photos, videos and making audio recordings of the process.
Earlier, the Anti-corruption Agency of Uzbekistan called for the transparency of the process. It reminded of the president’s decree of June 2021, which states that the National TV and Radio Company and the Anti-corruption Agency should provide live coverage of the court sessions related to the professional activities of the public servants.
