Uzbekistan, Tashkent, March 3 / Trend , T.Zhukov/
Former governor of the Samarkand region Agzamhon Bahromov was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Uzbekistan Prosecutor General's Office told Trend .
The high-ranking Uzbek official was indicted on 22 articles of the Penal Code. He is charged with extortion, blackmail, bribery and embezzlement of public funds in a large scale, and creation of criminal gangs.
Prosecutor General's Office launched legal proceedings on the criminal case in April 2008. At an extraordinary session of the Samarkand Regional Council of People's Deputies, President Islam Karimov stressed that the law is the same for all.
"Bahromov not only surrounded himself with criminals, but also caused a panic fear among the population when referring to his name. Together with his close people he created a network of shadow economy to clean out the State. Organized groups were created under Bahromov's cover. Officially they had a status of various societies," Karimov said.
Before the sentence was announced, the Finance Ministry had canceled the license of the Parvina private joint-stock commercial bank, owned by Bahromov's relative.
Candidate of Economic Sciences Agzamhon Bahromov, 53, for a long time served in the Uzbekistan Cabinet Information and Analytical Department. He worked as head of the Prime Minister Secretariat, First Deputy Macroeconomics and Statistics Minister, led the Demonopolization and Competition State Committee. In August 2003, he was appointed Chairman of the Uzbekengilsanoat (Uzbeklegprom) public joint stock company.
Bahromov was appointed governor of the Samarkand region following Islam Karimov's decree in December 2006. He was discharged from office in April 2008.
In August 2004, Bahromov was awarded the state order Mehnat Shukhrat.