Amendments have been made to the Criminal Code under a new law signed by the President Mirziyoyev on June 22.
According to the revisions, individuals convicted of embezzlement, misappropriation, or fraud who have not fully repaid the financial damages caused by their crimes will no longer be eligible for parole or conditional early release.
Furthermore, penalties have been significantly toughened for those who commit these two offenses by abusing their official positions:
- Embezzlement or Misappropriation: Previously, committing theft through the abuse of official or public position carried a maximum prison sentence of up to 5 years. Under the new law, this offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
- Fraud: Previously, individuals who committed fraud by leveraging their professional standing faced a maximum penalty of up to 8 years in prison. Moving forward, this crime carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The new law entered into force today, on June 23, immediately following its official publication.
It is worth noting that a specific clause within the Criminal Code remains intact for both misappropriation (Article 167) and fraud (Article 168), which stipulates that sentences involving the restriction of freedom or imprisonment will not be applied if the material damage caused is fully compensated.
This particular loophole is a frequent subject of public debate. Most recently, the former chairman of the Toshshahartransxizmat joint-stock company was found guilty of embezzling state property and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. However, shortly after, his sentence was commuted and he was released from custody as soon as the financial damages were repaid.
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