A new land scandal has erupted in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan, where a mahalla chairman and a deputy governor were caught in an illegal land deal. The officials allegedly demanded tens of thousands of dollars to process 30 hectares of land, promising to change its category and complete the paperwork.

According to the State Security Service (SSS), the officials conspired to arrange a 30-hectare land plot for a resident of Andijan. The plot included 2 hectares previously allocated to another citizen for livestock farming and 28 hectares from the state reserve.

The suspects claimed they could change the category of part of the land to non-residential and the remainder to residential, demanding $57,000 for this service, plus an additional $3,000 for processing documents through “acquaintances” in the cadastral authorities.

During a special operation conducted by the SSS and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes, the suspects were caught red-handed while receiving an advance payment of $28,000 for the land and $3,000 for document processing. The money was seized as material evidence.

A criminal case has been opened against the detainees, and investigative actions are underway. The SSS urged citizens to report such offenses via the short number 1520, guaranteeing confidentiality.

Earlier, a deputy governor was caught selling land in an industrial zone in the Namangan region.

Source: podrobno.uz