Uzbekistan has adopted amendments to its Criminal and Administrative Codes, broadening the definition of corruption crimes and strengthening accountability. The updated list now includes fraud, embezzlement, abuse of power, bribery, and money laundering derived from corrupt activities.

Economic crimes face stricter penalties: individuals convicted of embezzlement, misappropriation, or fraud cannot be granted parole until they fully compensate for the damage caused. This measure aims to ensure the inevitability of punishment.

In public procurement, officials now face fines of up to 30 times the base calculation value for violating the allowable difference between the initial procurement price and the average market price of goods. The relevant provision has been added to the Administrative Code.

To coordinate anti-corruption efforts, territorial councils will be established in Karakalpakstan, regions, and Tashkent. State bodies will implement compliance systems and internal anti-corruption control mechanisms.

A key innovation is the 'Corruption Risk Map,' which will assess corruption levels across regions, sectors, and individual state agencies. The map will be based on crime statistics, law enforcement analysis, public attitudes toward corruption, and the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies. The Anti-Corruption Agency will maintain the map.

Contracts concluded as a result of corruption offenses will be declared invalid by court order. Additionally, the law strengthens whistleblower protection: employees who report corruption cannot face disciplinary action for two years without prior notification to the Agency.

Earlier, in the Karmana district of Navoi region, traffic police inspector Captain Sherbek Turkhonov was rewarded for his uncompromising stance against corruption.

Source: podrobno.uz