A court in Fergana region has delivered its verdict regarding the officials of "Garden catering trade" LLC, whose actions allegedly caused a mass food poisoning outbreak affecting over a hundred kindergarten children. The incident drew widespread public concern over food safety standards in state preschool facilities. According to court documents reviewed by local media, the defendants faced multiple charges, ranging from gross sanitation violations to large-scale embezzlement and document forgery.

Investigators reportedly revealed that the company's leadership, director, technologist, and accountant systematically manipulated daily meal menus by artificially inflating the number of enrolled children to siphon off state funds. The perpetrators allegedly embezzled hundreds of millions of soms through fraudulent reports, claiming that expensive food products such as butter and meat were fully delivered to minors when they were actually diverted or stolen.

Furthermore, the catering firm was implicated in illegally consuming electricity, causing significant financial damage to the local energy utility in Kuvasay. The tragic culmination of these systematic failures occurred when substandard meals were served to children, resulting in the hospitalization of 105 minors with severe food poisoning symptoms. Despite the severity of the health crisis and confirmed financial crimes, the court reportedly handed down non-custodial sentences, including correctional labor and restricted freedom, releasing the defendants directly from the courtroom.

Source: kun.uz