Authorities in Uzbekistan have uncovered a scheme in which officials of the Fergana regional heat supply company, Issiqlik ta’minoti, allegedly falsified data on the volume of thermal energy delivered to residents, enabling them to siphon off 12.9 billion soums in undue subsidies from the state budget. The announcement was made by the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office.

According to the investigation, the company actually supplied 85,700 gigacalories (Gcal) of heat to consumers during 2024–2025 and the first five months of 2026. However, in documents submitted to the regional department of economy and finance, company officials allegedly inflated the figure to 212,300 Gcal, a more than twofold exaggeration.

This fraudulent reporting is said to have resulted in the illegal disbursement of 12.9 billion soums in subsidies, causing substantial financial damage to the state. A criminal case has been opened under relevant articles of the Criminal Code, and investigative actions are currently underway.

The case comes amid broader reforms in Uzbekistan's heating sector. Earlier, authorities proposed limiting preferential heating tariffs to 60 square meters per apartment or 16 square meters per resident, with any excess space to be charged at a base rate 5.1 times higher than the current subsidized rate.

In July 2025, Ilhom Turayev, chairman of Issiqlik ta’minoti, announced that subsidies for heating and hot water would be completely phased out by 2030. He stated that tariffs would be raised once or twice a year, a move purportedly aimed at gradually reducing the subsidy burden.

Source: www.gazeta.uz