An official who received a bribe in a particularly large amount has been detained in the Rudaki district

Employees of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Tajikistan have detained the chief architect of the Rudaki district on charges of receiving a bribe of two million somoni.

As reported by “Radio Ozodi,” citing its sources in the investigative authorities and the administration of the Rudaki district, 31-year-old Rustam Rahmonzoda received $200,000 from a certain entrepreneur to help him obtain a land plot. The name of the entrepreneur is not disclosed, but it is noted that he planned to build multi-story residential buildings on this plot.

A criminal case has been initiated against Rahmonzoda for receiving a bribe in a particularly large amount, and an investigation is underway.

It is unknown when exactly Rustam Rahmonzoda was detained. The suspect, his lawyer, and relatives are unavailable for comment.

Rahmonzoda was not the only official detained in the Rudaki district on suspicion of fraud and receiving bribes in the distribution of land plots. For at least the past 15 years, the media has repeatedly reported the detention of dozens of officials, including chairpersons of rural jamoats, suspected of corruption in land allocation.

This district is one of the largest in Tajikistan and is located in close proximity to Dushanbe. The close distance to the capital has made the district particularly attractive for those wishing to obtain land, which is the reason for the high level of corruption.

Even the authoritarian President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, stated during his speech in the Rudaki district in 2017 that “the sale of land in the district has turned into an incurable disease.” A year later, he appointed Rustam Akramzoda as the head of the district to “heal” this disease.

However, in 2020, “Radio Ozodi” revealed in an investigation that Rustam Akramzoda himself was also involved in the illegal distribution of land, having provided plots to several of his relatives. Following the publication of the investigation, he was immediately dismissed.

The current head of the district is Hikmatullozoda Abdugaffor, who previously served as the first deputy attorney general of the country.

It should be noted that every year in various regions of the country, law enforcement agencies detain dozens of officials on charges of illegal land transactions; however, the sale of land plots continues. Experts believe that the initiators of corruption schemes are the officials themselves, who, by receiving bribes or through personal connections, allocate land plots to “necessary people,” while truly needy residents spend years knocking on the doors of government agencies in hopes of obtaining at least a small plot of land, but end up with nothing.

Corruption and bribery have taken such deep roots in all sectors of the country that stopping this process is practically impossible. As experts note, many officials obtain their positions for money, and in order to recoup their investments, they start accepting bribes. Thus, corruption begins at the very top, and its eradication seems unrealistic.