At an urgent government meeting today, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that major checks conducted at the state-owned company Uzbekneftegaz and the State Assets Management Agency, found massive embezzlement worth of billions of soums.
In particular, Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored that officials of the State Assets Management Agency had put a land plot with a market value of at least 250 billion soums up for auction and sold it for 120 billion soums.
After the crimes were identified, the agency's director, Akmalkhon Ortikov, was sacked on the eve.
"This raises a logical question: if corruption has been rampant in these agencies for many years, where were those in charge for security?" the president stated.
The head of state gave a directive, chief of the State Security Service Bakhodir Kurbanov to review the responsibility of the employees who oversaw the activities of Uzbekneftegaz and the State Assets Management Agency.
Furthermore, the Compliance Service and the State Security Service have been given orders to engage officials from departments in charge of economic security in the investigation into the criminal case opened against agency officials.
"Sale of every state’s asset must be thoroughly investigated, all corruption schemes must be uncovered, and punishment must be ensured," Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.
In December, Abdugani Sanginov, who previously headed Uzbekhydroenergo, was appointed Chairman of the Board of Uzbekneftegaz, Uzbekistan's largest gas producing company, replacing Bakhodir Sidikov.
Sanginov dismissed the heads of the Termez, Jizzakh, Marokand, Kuchlik, and Turakurgan oil depots "for serious violations committed over the course of the year." While, new deputy chiefs of Uzbekneftegaz responsible for geology and anti-corruption have been appointed.
Due to the slow pace of geological exploration, Uzbekneftegaz has decided to conduct inventory check of investment blocks in three provinces of the country. It also plans to review the performance of private gas production operators that are failing to meet their obligations and attract new ones through a competitive bidding process.
