Director of the Agency for Counteraction of Corruption of the Republic of Uzbekistan Akmal Burkhanov stated about mass illegal transfer of decisions of khokimiyats into the category of classified information. According to the results of a joint study of the Agency and the Ministry of Justice, 43 thousand (37.3%) of 115 thousand decisions adopted by khokimiyats in 2023 were unreasonably classified.
As Akmal Burkhanov noted, the analysis of a sample of 194 classified decisions revealed that most of them concerned the distribution of budget funds: construction, bonuses for employees and other financial operations.
“More than 30% of decisions of khokimiyats are hidden from the public, which creates conditions for misuse of public funds,” the head of the Anti-Corruption Department emphasized.
Currently, amendments to the legislation are being developed, which will establish clear criteria for classifying information. The current regulatory framework provides for general wording, which allows officials to abuse the right to restrict access to information. “Often, under the pretext of personal data protection, decisions regarding public procurement and budget spending are hidden,” Akmal Burkhanov explained.
The Anti-Corruption Agency proposes to introduce mandatory coordination of draft closed decisions with the agency. It is expected that the relevant amendments to the legislation will be made in the near future.
Earlier it was reported that the largest number of corruption offenses in Uzbekistan is in the spheres of education, health care and local government.
Reprinted from https://upl.uz/
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