A senior assistant judge of the Surxondaryo Regional Court was caught red-handed while receiving $53,000 in exchange for promising lighter sentences and the cancellation of pretrial detention for defendants, the State Security Service (SSS) reported.

According to the SSS, the official abused his position by promising two defendants to reduce the amount of damages assessed at 6.3 billion soums through revaluation in a case pending before the Angor District Criminal Court.

He also allegedly promised to secure a punishment not involving imprisonment and to cancel the pretrial detention measure imposed during the preliminary investigation.

The illegal activity was stopped by SSS and prosecutor's office officers at the moment the official received $53,000 from a relative of the defendants.

A criminal case has been opened against him under Article 168, Part 4, Clause 'a' (fraud on an especially large scale) and Articles 28, 211, Part 1 (bribery) of the Criminal Code. Investigative actions are underway.

The SSS urged citizens to report similar violations via short number 1520, guaranteeing the confidentiality of the caller.

Earlier, a lawyer in Tashkent region was detained while receiving $10,000 for promising to change a prison sentence to a restriction of liberty.

Source: www.gazeta.uz