The Anti-Corruption Agency of Tajikistan confirmed the theft of 1.8 million somoni from the Agency for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the initiation of a criminal case on the fact of embezzlement on an especially large scale against responsible persons of this department.
In a written response to Asia-Plus, the Anti-Corruption Agency reported that the criminal case was initiated on July 21, 2022 under article “b” of part 4 of article 245, and a preliminary investigation is currently underway.
Asia-Plus applied to this department with a request to provide information about the detention of responsible persons of the Education Supervision Agency, including the former head of this agency Shokhin Saidzoda, chief accountant Mahmadsiddik Mahmadzokir, accountant Mafzuna Charkinzoda and cashier Safar Loik.
However, the anti-corruption body of Tajikistan referred to article 177, part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan, «according to the requirements of which the investigation considers the disclosure of information from the preliminary investigation illegal».
Thus, it is not known who are the responsible persons of the Agency for Supervision of Education against whom the case has been initiated. However, the funds of budgetary institutions are usually not spent without the permission of the head.
