Uzbekistan has introduced mandatory anti-corruption reviews for major investment projects worth at least $50 million, as the government intensifies efforts to strengthen oversight of public spending and large-scale development initiatives.
The new procedure was approved through an official instruction registered by the Ministry of Justice on May 8, according to the ministry’s Legal Information channel.
Under the new rules, large investment projects involving at least $50 million in financing will be subject to anti-corruption examinations and assessments of their impact on market competition before they can move forward. The regulation applies to projects aimed at creating, expanding, or modernizing socially and economically significant infrastructure, services, and facilities.
The reviews will be conducted by internal anti-corruption control units within state bodies and organizations.
Officials said projects identified as carrying a high risk of corruption could receive a negative assessment regarding their feasibility and implementation. Authorities also stressed that projects will not be approved until all shortcomings identified during the examination process are fully addressed.
The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Uzbekistan had opened criminal proceedings against senior officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs following investigations into large-scale financial violations.
At a government meeting on January 27, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said investigators had uncovered 53 trillion Uzbekistani som (UZS), approximately $4.38 billion, in financial irregularities and misused funds nationwide. According to the president’s press secretary, 4.2 trillion som ($347.3 million) of the total was directly linked to corruption schemes.
Authorities reported that 1.3 trillion som ($107.5 million) had already been recovered, while 55 individuals were arrested across the country in connection with corruption-related cases.
