Uzbekistan detains former deputy ministers in massive corruption case

Two former Deputy Ministers of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan, Bekmurod Abdullayev and Rustam Tursunov, who were dismissed on the same day, have been taken into custody on suspicion of embezzling state property on a particularly large scale, according to reports from Daryo, citing independent sources familiar with the investigation.

Shokhrukh Giyasov, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, confirmed that the case is being handled by the General Prosecutor’s Office, without providing further details. The Prosecutor General’s press office did not respond to media inquiries.

According to sources, Abdullayev and Tursunov, former heads of the Department of Public Security and the Department of Penal Enforcement, are suspected of embezzlement, abuse of power, and other crimes. Both have been placed under pre-trial detention.

“Preliminary calculations suggest that the financial damage exceeds 100 billion Uzbek soms,” a source told Daryo.

The alleged embezzlement reportedly involved fraudulent schemes related to new traffic lights and other road equipment installed in Tashkent and regional centres. The equipment was officially declared as imported, while in reality, it was produced locally.

Bekmurod Abdullayev was dismissed as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Head of the Department of Public Security on November 3, 2025, by presidential decree. He had held the position since April 2021. Previously, he served as First Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Public Security (from April 2020), Head of the Patrol and Public Order Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (from November 2019), and Deputy Head of the Tashkent Police Department for Finance and Logistics (from October 2018).

Rustam Tursunov, who served as Head of the Department of Penal Enforcement since February 2021, was dismissed on the same day. He had previously led MVD departments in Jizzakh (2017–2018) and Navoiy (2018–2021) regions.

By Vugar Khalilov