The number of bribery-related crimes in Uzbekistan has decreased over the past few years. However, cases of embezzlement of budget funds and abuse of official powers have increased, director of the Anti-Corruption Agency Akmal Burkhanov said at the 4th Anti-Corruption Forum in Tashkent on 17 October, Gazeta.uz correspondent reports.
According to Akmal Burkhanov, before 2019, bribery made up the majority of corruption-related crimes, but now such cases account for less than 10% of all corruption offences.
“However, unfortunately, new forms of corruption have emerged, such as embezzlement of budget funds, fraud and abuse of authority,” he noted. “The decline in bribery cases is attributed to the digitalization of public services, thanks to which more than 400 services are now provided to the public online, without the human factor.”
Akmal Burkhanov highlighted that over 6,000 corruption offenses had been recorded in 2022, and in 2023 the number of such crimes decreased by 12%.
“Ten, five, even three years ago, officials who committed corruption were held accountable, but information about their crimes was not always disclosed. Today, every case, regardless of the official’s rank, is made public,” he emphasized.
Akmal Burkhanov also spoke about the new law “On conflict of interest”, signed by president this June. The law which aims to prevent nepotism, favoritism and conflicts of interest among civil servants.
“If this law is effectively implemented, the level of corruption among high-ranking officials will decrease significantly,” he said.
In addition, a draft document is being drafted to amend the Criminal Code to impose harsher penalties for corruption-related crimes, the head of the agency continued. Under the proposal, individuals convicted of bribery would serve their full sentence without leniency and would be barred from holding public office.
Earlier, it was reported that in 2023, 566 persons convicted of corruption had been reinstated in public service and committed similar offenses again. A draft law to establish a public register of corrupt officials, under discussion since 2021, was expected to be introduced to the parliament by end of September. There have been no reports about whether it had been submitted.
