Three other anticorruption officers charged with bribe taking have been convicted today morning, a source at the Supreme Court of Tajikistan told Asia-Plus in an interview.
The Supreme Court on September 19 sentenced Firouz Kholmurodzoda, the former head of the investigative directorate at the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption, Amirsho Sultonzoda, the former head of the investigation department at the anticorruption agency’s office for Dushanbe, and Qosim Saidzoda, the former head of the department for combating economic crimes in the sphere of transport, to 15, nine and seven years respectively. They will serve their terms in a high-security penal colony.
The court's ruling was nearly identical to the prosecution's earlier demand for a 17-year prison term for Kholmurodzoda, a 12-year prison for Amirsho Sultonzoda and a seven-year prison for Saidzoda.
Amirsho Sultonzoda is nephew of former MP Saodat Amrishoyeva.
Meanwhile, six other anticorruption officer still remain in the dock, including Firdavs Abdughafforzoda (Firdavs Niyozbadalov), an investigator and son-in-law of former secretary of the Security Council Amirqul Azimov. Recall, the prosecutor asked for a15-year sentence for Abdughafforzoda.
A it had been reported earlier, the former deputy chief of the anticorruption agency, Davlatbek Khairzoda, and the former deputy head of the Customs Service’s office in Sughd province, Faridoun Benazirzoda, who had previously served in the anticorruption agency, disagree with the sentence passed upon them and the appeals court of Tajikistan's Supreme Court is expected to consider their appeal today. Khairzoda and Benazirzoda consider that the sentence passed upon them is too severe and ask the appeals court to consider their case in all fairness.
Davlatbek Khairzoda and Faridoun Benazirzoda were sentenced to 10 ½ years in jail each on July 28. They were found guilty of bribe taking.
The trial of the anticorruption officers charged with bribe taking that began on July 19 is closed to the public and neither the prosecution nor defense lawyers would comment to journalists about the case. Fourteen people were under investigation. Ten of them are former employees of the anticorruption agency, while four others belong to other bodies.
More than 10 top investigators and officials of the anticorruption agency were reportedly arrested on April 24.
Tajikistan ranked joint 136th out 165 countries in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index — the same as Nigeria and 17 position below Russia.
Tajikistan signed up to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 2006 and an anticorruption strategy for 2013-2020 was adopted in 2012.
