The Business Ombudsman called punishing a businessman for criticizing corruption unacceptable

The Business Ombudsman stated that “it is unacceptable to punish an entrepreneur for criticism” while commenting on the Ministry of Construction’s appeal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding Usmonjon Abdusamatov after his words about corruption in the construction sector.

The Business Ombudsman stated that he considers the statement as harassment against the entrepreneur. He reminded that every entrepreneur’s free activity and observance of their rights are guaranteed by law. Solving the problems of entrepreneurs is a priority task of the Business Ombudsman.

The opportunity for entrepreneurs to freely express their opinions and critical thoughts serves to further improve government reforms and increase their effectiveness. We urge all government agencies to listen to the opinions of entrepreneurs and jointly seek constructive solutions to obstacles and problems in the way of doing business, — the message says.

Entrepreneurs were also urged to appeal if their rights are violated or their activities are interfered with. The leader of the “Yuksalish” movement, deputy Bobur Bekmurodov, said that despite the reforms, the construction sector still cannot be called completely free from corruption.

The deputy criticized the Ministry of Construction for not using public control mechanisms to improve the situation.

The Ministry’s Public Council has only two representatives of non-governmental organizations, although according to the presidential decree, they must be at least 50%. We urge the Ministry to meet with the entrepreneur and listen to his proposals for solving problems in the industry, — he said.

Recall that businessman Usmonjon Abdusamatov told a story during an open dialogue with construction industry representatives about unjustified refusals and corruption cases in the process of obtaining permits.

At that time, the Ministry of Construction reported that an official statement had been submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs requesting a response and a legal assessment of the businessman’s words. The report states that the businessman gave reason to “spread unfounded information among the public” with his words.