Andijan State University. Photo: adu.uz
The former rector and chief accountant of Andijan State University have been sentenced to six and six and a half years in prison, respectively, for systematically embezzling budget funds over several years, UzNews.uz reports, citing the court’s verdict.
Investigators found that between 2019 and 2023, the former university officials and 11 other employees regularly falsified documents—including forging student signatures—and illegally appropriated money intended for university needs or received as tuition payments.
The case includes five major counts:
✅ misappropriation of 32 billion Uzbek sums (approx. $2.5 million) allocated for student stipends;
✅ theft of 2.6 billion sums ($205,000) meant for student incentives;
✅ embezzlement of 14.4 billion sums ($1.1 million) in cash tuition payments;
✅ illegal use of 2.6 billion sums ($205,000) from dormitory rental income;
✅ misappropriation of 545 million sums ($43,000) linked to public procurement.
In total, the losses exceeded 53.6 billion sums (over $4.2 million).
The chief accountant also laundered part of the funds, registering assets—such as a BMW X7 worth 2 billion sums ($160,000)—in the names of relatives, and transferring 6.6 billion sums ($521,000) to a friend of his son.
During the trial, the chief accountant partially admitted guilt, while the former rector denied involvement, claiming ignorance of financial matters and blaming his subordinates. He described his actions as “managerial oversights.”
The court additionally barred both men from holding public positions for three years and fined them 310 basic calculation units each—over 100 million sums (more than $8,000). Other defendants were also punished, though specific details were not disclosed.
The media notes that the convicted partially compensated for the losses by transferring funds to the State Security Service’s escrow account: the chief accountant paid back 31 billion sums ($2.5 million), his deputy 5.1 billion ($400,000+), and the rector 1.1 billion ($87,000). Authorities also recovered damages by auctioning off seized assets, including seven cars, a hotel, three houses, and jewelry.
