The official allegedly took a bribe of 10 million UZS in exchange for removing a debt record from a central credit registry and assisting in securing a preferential loan, the State Security Service (SSS) said.

According to the SSS, the official had promised a contact to delete records of an outstanding debt owed by a family-owned business from the commercial bank’s Centralized Credit Registry. Additionally, he allegedly offered to facilitate access to a 100 million UZS loan on favorable terms. The official reportedly requested a bribe of $1,500 for these services and was apprehended while receiving a 10 million UZS advance.

The SSS also noted that the suspect has a prior criminal record.

An investigation is now underway, with criminal proceedings launched under the Criminal Code.