Shavkat Mirziyoyev commented on measures taken in recent weeks to combat criminal groups and corruption in Uzbekistan.

“Whether it be criminal groups calling themselves ‘street gangs’, or corrupt officials, who break the law and cause damage to the state and society, we will fight them within the framework of our judicial system,” the president said.

According to Mirziyoyev, all the neighborhoods should be safe and free from crime and peace should prevail everywhere in the country.

“In the New Uzbekistan, the rule of law and punishment for crime are inevitable,” the president said.

It should be recalled that at the end of November, “operational and preventive measures against the criminal world” began in Uzbekistan. During the raids in Tashkent, more than one hundred people were detained. Among them are Salim Abduvaliev, known as ‘Salimboy’, Bakhtiyor Kudratullayev, a.k.a. ‘Bakhti Tashkentsky’ and Saidaziz Saidaliev, a.k.a. ‘Saidaziz-medgorodok’.

Several officials suspected of corruption were also detained, including former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov, deputy governor of the Namangan region Saidakhmad Sultonov, head of the Central Bank’s Main Directorate in Bukhara Erkin Mansurov, governor of the Bekabad district Shukhrat Mirzayev and former governor of the Bukhara district Khairulla Jurayev. 

In addition, three tax officials were arrested, and a customs officer who tried to embezzle 145 billion soums by colluding with an insurance company is also under arrest.