In Bukhara region, embezzlement of over 3.34 billion sum during the restoration of historical monuments and acquisition of material assets by the restoration center has been uncovered, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan reported.
A working group of specialists from the Cultural Heritage Agency, led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sherzod Tukhtaboyev, inspected the restoration work of historical monuments in the Bukhara region, including the mosque "Hodja Kalon," the madrasas "Husayni" and "Nodir Devonbegi," as well as the Citadel Ark.
Officials involved in the restoration allegedly embezzled the following amounts under the guise of completed work:
- 731 million sum in the mosque "Hodja Kalon";
- 216 million sum in the madrasa "Husayni";
- 90 million sum in the madrasa "Nodir Devonbegi."
According to the agency, an additional 50 million sum allocated for installing directional signs at 74 sites in the historic center of Bukhara was also embezzled.
Furthermore, officials from the Bukhara Territorial Restoration Center falsified documents for the acquisition of material assets worth 2.3 billion sum, but in reality, the money was misappropriated, as stated in the report.
Criminal cases have been initiated against the officials of the restoration center and others involved based on the facts, under Article 167 Part 3 (Embezzlement on an especially large scale) and Article 209 Part 2 (Official forgery as a repeat offender or by a dangerous recidivist) of the Criminal Code.
