In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On additional measures to improve the system of combating corruption in the Republic of Uzbekistan” No.УП-6013 dated 29 June 2020 (the “Decree No.УП -6013”) there was established an Anticorruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan (the “Agency”) in order to improve the effectiveness of public policies aimed at preventing and combating corruption in all spheres of society and the State.
The Agency is directly reported to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and accounts to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The Decree No. УП-6013 established the following main tasks and activities of the Agency:
- provision of a systematic analysis of the corruption in the country, as well as identification of the areas that are most susceptible to corruption risks, the causes and conditions for committing corruption offenses;
- formation and implementation of State policy in the field of preventing and combating corruption, governmental and other programs aimed at eliminating the systemic causes and conditions of corruption offenses, increasing the effectiveness of anticorruption measures;
- coordination of the activities of ministries and departments in the field of preventing and combating corruption, the organization of effective interaction between government bodies, the media, civil society institutions and other representatives of the non-governmental sector on these issues;
- organization of implementation and effective functioning of the internal anticorruption control system (“compliance control”) and other international anticorruption instruments, based on modern methods and information and communication technologies of anticorruption monitoring in State and economic administration bodies, State enterprises and enterprises, including banks with a State share, as well as formation of rating of their activities in this area;
- organization of the implementation and effective functioning of the system for declaring the income and property of governmental workers, verifying the accuracy of declarations, as well as ensuring timely response to corruption manifestations identified during this work;
- analysis of the effectiveness of the anticorruption control system in the field of public procurement and the use of budget funds, loans of international organizations and foreign States, the sale of State assets, as well as the development of proposals for its improvement;
- development of international cooperation in the field of prevention and combating corruption, as well as the implementation of systemic measures to strengthen the country's authority and increase its position in international ratings.
Moreover, it is established that the Agency shall annually prepare the National Anticorruption Report in the Republic of Uzbekistan, which is to be published in the media, and shall be submitted to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the chambers of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Under the Decree No. УП-6013, the Agency has been assigned with the following rights:
- request, receive and investigate materials related to public finances, State assets, public procurement, investment projects and state programs;
- adopt, in accordance with the established procedure, regulatory acts on matters within its authority;
- consider complaints from individuals and legal entities on corruption issues and take measures to restore their violated rights and protect legitimate interests;
- examine the corruption level in the activities of State, including law enforcement agencies and organizations;
- to forward, based on the results of the study and other measures, materials to law enforcement and other State bodies for taking measures in accordance with the law, including the initiation of criminal cases, against persons whose activities contain signs of corruption offenses;
- conduct administrative investigations of corruption offences.
The Agency has been authorized with the tasks and authorities of the National Coordinator of the Republic of Uzbekistan to ensure the activities under the Istanbul Action Plan of the Anti-Corruption Network for the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the implementation of the recommendations and measures envisaged under the UN Convention against Corruption and other international treaties of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of combating corruption, as well as the coordination of activities in this area.
It should be flagged that on June 30, 2020, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a videoconference on ensuring justice and countering corruption. During the conference President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the khokims (mayors) of regions, districts and cities, as well as industry leaders in cooperation with the Agency to develop “Corruption Free Program” with the main task to ensure openness and transparency, as well as digitalization of activities.