Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 18 September 2024, a joint meeting of the Senate Committee on Judicial-Legal Affairs and Anti-Corruption and the Tashkent City Council of People’s Deputies was held in Tashkent. The meeting focused on discussing the activities of the Regional Council on Anti-Corruption.

The session was attended by members of the Senate, deputies of the Tashkent City Council of People’s Deputies, representatives from relevant ministries and agencies, as well as media representatives.

The meeting featured reports from the heads of the Regional Council on Anti-Corruption and territorial government bodies on their activities in this area.

It was noted that, at the initiative of the Regional Council on Anti-Corruption in Tashkent, over 180 meetings and round tables had been held over the past seven months of 2024. These events aimed to raise public awareness and foster a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption. Various activities were organized in collaboration with responsible organizations and agencies, including events on topics such as "Anti-Corruption - A Call of the Time," "Open Doors," "Corruption-Free Governance," and "Corruption-Free Medical Sector," which were regularly covered on social media and in the press.

Despite the efforts, some shortcomings were identified. The lowest corruption indicators among regions were recorded for the Regional Council on Anti-Corruption in Tashkent. The necessary measures should consider transparency indices, the prevalence of corruption, and perception of corruption.

Over the past seven months, Tashkent reported 185 corruption and official crimes. A total of 217 officials were held accountable for crimes such as fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, bribery, abuse of office, and other forms of corruption.

The participants of the meeting highlighted that these corruption issues stemmed from insufficient internal control in local government bodies and other state agencies, as well as inadequate legal services in territorial government bodies and organizations.

The widespread adoption of modern information technologies, which reduce human intervention, was emphasized as a means to mitigate corruption risks.

Senators also stressed that such illegal activities require each member of the Regional Council to fully execute their duties, promptly identify and address corruption violations, and eliminate their consequences.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a joint decision was made by the Committee on Judicial-Legal Affairs and Anti-Corruption and the Tashkent City Council of People’s Deputies, aimed at improving anti-corruption activities in the city and preventing violations.