A provincial court has overturned part of a verdict in the case over the poisoning of 105 children at three state kindergartens in the city of Fergana and sentenced two catering company executives to prison, the press service of the provincial courts said.
The Fergana provincial criminal court, hearing the case on cassation on Nov. 7, set aside a Sept. 21 ruling by the Furkat district criminal court as it applied to Shavkat Turdaliev, head of Garden Catering Trade, and Rasuljon Alimov, the company’s technologist.
Turdaliev was sentenced to 4 years in prison and Alimov to 3 years and 6 months, under Articles 59 and 61 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan.
The district court had given Turdaliev 3 years and 6 months of restricted freedom and Alimov 3 years of restricted freedom. It cited mitigating factors including no prior convictions, repentance and full repayment of the damage. The children suffered minor harm to their health. Both men were released in the courtroom.
Turdaliev had been convicted of violating sanitary legislation, theft, embezzlement on an especially large scale and document forgery. The case involved the theft of 1.1 billion soums in budget funds. Alimov was convicted under Part 1 of Article 257-1, which covers violations of sanitary legislation or epidemic control rules.
The children developed symptoms of acute food poisoning, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever, and were hospitalized, it was reported on Feb. 20.
Gazeta reported on Feb. 24 that Garden Catering Trade had been awarded contracts worth 100 billion soums without a tender.
The Anti-Corruption Agency said it had found procurement violations in kindergarten meals in Fergana province in July 2024. It said the provincial administration took no practical steps after receiving its formal notice.
