A court in the northern city of Isfara has fined the Deputy Mayor of Isfara, Muhammad Muhiddinzoda, 24,000 somonis for illegally selling land, but he continues to hold his position, Olim Mahmoudzoda, an official within the Office of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption for Sughd Province, told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

According to him, based on the court’s decision, the anticorruption agency’s office in northern Tajikistan has issued an order for Muhiddinzoda’s dismissal, and “most likely, the issue of his dismissal will be resolved this or next week.”

Muhiddinzoda is suspected of illegally selling land to several individuals, including Shukrullo Nasrizoda, the head of the Chorkuh community, Iskandar Shafei, the head of the Organizational and Personnel Department of the Isfara Administration, and Shokir Kholiqov, the director of the Loyhakash municipal enterprise.

In a report released at a news conference in Khujand, Safar Salimzoda, the head of the Office of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption for Sughd Province, stated that Muhiddinzoda, Nasrizoda, Shafei, and Kholiqov “used their official positions in September-October 2021 to illegally allocate 0.04 hectares of land each to eleven citizens."  The land had been designated for Faizi Navgilem LLC for the construction of a kindergarten, a medical facility, a barbershop, a bakery, and residential houses with adjoining plots.

A criminal case has been opened against them under two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 338 -- illegal transfer of land; and Article 323 -- fraud.

On November 28, 2024, the Isfara city court ruled that Muhammad Muhiddinzoda should pay a fine of 24,000 somonis but did not impose a ban on holding certain positions.

Additionally, the court fined Iskandar Shafei 24,000 somonis and banned him from holding positions in local government for four years.

Shukrullo Nasrizoda was fined 18,000 somonis but was not removed from his post.

Shokir Kholiqov was fined 15,000 somonis and prohibited from holding executive positions for two years.

Corruption in land sales

Tajikistan’s anticorruption authorities regularly report the arrests of officials for illegal land sales.  Previously, the anticorruption agency found former head of the Jabbor-Rasulov district in Sughd province, Tolib Qudratzoda, guilty of multiple instances of fraud and abuse of power, banning him from holding government positions.

Last year, the anticorruption agency’s office in Sughd province reportedly uncovered 427 corruption-related crimes.  Eight criminal proceedings have been instituted against nine local official under Article 319 -- bribery by an official.