A Bukhara city court has delivered a verdict in the high-profile criminal case of a 72-year-old Tashkent resident accused of large-scale extortion. The defendant allegedly leveraged a fabricated position within top government circles to intimidate a local entrepreneur and demand hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to case files, the incident began in October of last year when the defendant, identified as H. Yu., contacted the management of a commercial enterprise operating in the Bukhara region. Posing as an official from the Administration of the President, he claimed that a formal complaint had been filed against the company and announced plans to conduct an unscheduled inspection.

The extortionist reportedly asserted that the firm had previously secured a 40 million dollar loan, but alleged audits uncovered nonexistent assets while the factory was supposedly inactive. Under the guise of assisting in rectifying documentation discrepancies, the elderly man initiated a campaign of intimidation against the business owner. *-

H. Yu. allegedly warned the entrepreneur that unnamed third parties were plotting a hostile takeover to oust current owners and seize control of the enterprise. In exchange for his purported intervention and protection, he demanded 500,000 US dollars alongside 1.3 million soms to cover travel expenses. Law enforcement authorities intervened and apprehended the suspect as he received a partial transfer of 10 million soms to his bank card.

During the court proceedings, the defendant expressed remorse for his actions and appealed for leniency, citing his advanced age and pension status. However, the Bukhara City Court for Criminal Cases rejected these pleas, finding him guilty under paragraph "a", part 3 of Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan for aggravated extortion, and sentenced him to 8 years in a general regime penal colony.

Source: uznews.uz