Former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov has been sentenced

Former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov and other defendants accused of embezzlement were sentenced in Tashkent, the Supreme Court’s press service reported.

The Mirobod District Criminal Court found the former Minister of Agriculture guilty under Article 167, Part 3, Clause “a” (embezzlement or misappropriation) and other articles of the Criminal Code. At the same time, due to the fact that the material damage was fully compensated, Aziz Voitov was sentenced to three years of correctional labor with a 30% salary deduction to the state revenue and a fine of 400 BRV (164.8 million soums).

In addition, the ex-Minister of Agriculture was deprived of the right to hold material and responsible positions for three years. The court also found the former head of the Agency for the Provision of Services in Agriculture, Husniddin Karimov, guilty and sentenced him to eight years and six months of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold material and responsible positions for three years. The court sentenced nine other defendants to imprisonment, and another 51 people to non-custodial sentences.

It should be noted that the press secretary of the Supreme Council of Judges, Tursunali Akbarov, commented on the transfer of the open hearing of the corruption case against the ex-Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov and 49 others to closed sessions. Tursunali Akbarov stated that the judge made the decision “based on the opinions of the parties”, based on the desire not to allow some “important information” to leak, as well as to suppress discussions during the case in society that could “ensure social pressure on the court”.