Two Former Uzbek Interior Ministry Deputies Arrested

Two Former Uzbek Interior Ministry Deputies Arrested

Former deputies of Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry, Bekmurod Abdullayev and Rustam Tursunov, have been taken into custody on suspicion of large-scale embezzlement of state property. Preliminary estimates indicate that the damage exceeds 100 billion soms.
According to investigators, they falsely declared “smart traffic lights” and other road equipment installed in Tashkent and other regions as imported, while actually using local products, creating criminal schemes.

Bekmurod Abdullayev served as Head of the Department of Public Safety since 2021, and Rustam Tursunov as Head of the Department of Execution of Punishments. Their dismissal followed the declaration of 2026 as the Year of Anti-Corruption. The General Prosecutor’s Office is currently conducting an investigation.