Uzbekistan: Corruption everywhere

Over the last ten years, in an international corruption ranking, Uzbekistan annually landed among the top ten of the most corrupt countries in the world, taking the worst position among the countries of the former Soviet Union. The annual rating is based on a global survey of the international organization Transparency International which defines corruption as any abuse of power for personal gain.

In Uzbekistan, corruption is prevalent primarily in the public sector. In 2011, the website WikiLeaks published reports of the U.S. ambassador Jon Purnell which describes the system of trading in government posts in Uzbekistan. As demonstrated in the ambassador’s report, in Uzbekistan, positions such as the regional administrator (khokim), head of the police office, or job positions in the Ministry of Interior are being traded.

From time to time, high-profile arrests occur and criminal cases are brought against senior officials who were involved in corruption. However, these arrests should rather be seen as being part of the redistribution of financial resources. This is confirmed by the lack of improvement in the field of corruption in the country over the last 10 years. As a rule, new faces coming to power continue to use their positions to illegally enrich themselves.

Artist: Tuz