Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Several officials have been detained in Tashkent and across various regions of Uzbekistan on suspicion of corruption, the State Security Service (SSS) reported.

In Namangan region, the chief specialist of the Construction and Utilities Control Inspectorate was arrested for allegedly demanding US$30,000 in exchange for overturning a prison sentence. The convict in question had received an eight-year term in January. The official was detained while accepting a US$10,000 advance, after reportedly promising to secure a non-custodial punishment.

Also in Namangan, the head of a property valuation firm was accused of taking US$4,400 to reduce a company’s tax debt from 783 million to 141 million soums. During the handover of the full sum, the alleged middleman — a head of a local branch of the Namangan Regional Tax Administration — was also apprehended.

In Tashkent, the head of the Social Adaptation Center under the Mirabad district administration was detained after allegedly accepting US$1,200 for facilitating the issuance of a passport and permanent registration for a stateless person.

Meanwhile, in Kashkadarya region, a state bailiff with the Karshi City Department of the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement under the Prosecutor General’s Office was implicated in a scheme. He allegedly accepted US$1,000 to lift a restriction on a car owned by a debtor with arrears of around 70 million soums. A farm manager who acted as an intermediary was detained alongside him.