Uzbekneftegaz and Enter Engineering Executives Face 10 Years in Prison
Nine individuals, including the former head of Uzbekneftegaz and senior managers from Eriell Management and Enter Engineering, face up to 10 years in prison for alleged financial crimes.
Tashkent City Court spokesman Tursunali Akbarov told a Kursiv Uzbekistan correspondent that the defendants are charged with embezzling state funds, abuse of power, forgery and money laundering.
The accused include Bakhodir Sidikov, former chairman of Uzbekneftegaz; Bakhtiyar Anarkulov, the company’s ex-deputy head; Nodirjon Boboev, director of Eriell Management; and Ulugbek Usmanov, head of Enter Engineering. Five suspects remain in custody whilst the remaining four have been released on bail as the trial continues.
The charges stem from a sweeping scheme uncovered in July involving the theft of 643.2 bn soums ($53.39 mln) during the expansion of the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex.
The Department for Combating Economic Crimes reported that the fraud implicated tax officials, Uzbekneftegaz representatives and several private contractors. Investigators allege the conspirators illegally added value added tax to services totalling 5.3 trln soums ($439.91 mln) in the project documents. This manipulation allowed one company to claim a fraudulent budget refund whilst another had its state debts unlawfully written off.
