These articles could not have originally been published by local Uzbek media due to self-censorship and the fear of journalists facing reprisals. Publishing this article would likely have led to criminal charges for defamation or spreading false information. It would not be surprising if the police detained the journalist under some pretext and forced them to remove the material. Intelligence agencies would probably approach the journalist’s family members and intimidate them with negative consequences (such as job termination or expulsion from university), demanding that they pressure the journalist.
These actions have been repeatedly used against journalists working for the independent publication Eltuz.
‘Revisor-5: Sardoba – A Symbol of Corruption’ was published on March 18, 2021, on eltuz.com. It discusses the Sardoba dam disaster in Uzbekistan, highlighting how corruption and mismanagement contributed to the tragedy.
‘Revisor-5: Sardoba – A Symbol of Corruption’
By Qudrat Bobojon
Spring Has Come. The apricot trees in Syrdarya have bloomed in pure white. The grasses have shot skyward like nature’s version of free speech. Rebirth in spring is a trait intrinsic to nature. But the consequences of last year’s man-made disaster in Syrdarya remain unresolved…
On February 15, 2021, the government of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution to restore the Sardoba Reservoir in Syrdarya region.
This was announced by Nasrullo Boboyev, an official from the Ministry of Construction. However, according to his statement to local media, the resolution is classified and will not be made public. Why? Is this a military secret?
On May 1, 2020, the dam at the Sardoba Reservoir in Syrdarya region collapsed, causing a massive man-made disaster. The flood caused significant damage to residential areas and farmland in Sardoba, Oqoltin, and Mirzaobod districts. Buildings, roads, and communication networks were destroyed. Official reports state that 6 people died and 1 went missing.
In neighboring Kazakhstan, the flood covered 276 square kilometers and led to the evacuation of more than 31,000 residents from 14 villages in the Maktaaral district of Turkestan region.
The ancient and modern Sardoba
Historically, a “sardoba” was a small reservoir in the deserts of ancient Turkestan, used to collect and preserve rainwater. It typically had a solid dome built over it from fired bricks. The word derives from the Persian “sard” (cold) and “ob” (water).
In contrast, the modern Sardoba dam, which burst in 2020, was constructed between 2010 and 2017 with a budget of 1.2 trillion Uzbek soums. In Uzbekistan today, “Sardoba” has become synonymous with theft, corruption, top-down authoritarianism, and the embezzlement of public funds under the guise of infrastructure development.
Analysts believe that the May 1, 2020 catastrophe was a direct result of deep-rooted corruption.
Following media reports and public outcry, the President stated that those responsible for the poorly built dam would be held accountable.
President Mirziyoyev himself acknowledged that corruption was rampant in the construction sector after the Sardoba dam failure.
Who Is Responsible?
When a plane crashes, the pilot and air traffic controller are questioned. If a car crashes, the driver is held accountable. When a building collapses, the foreman is investigated.
So, who built the Sardoba dam? Who designed it? To find out, we turn to the documents.
The Main Contractor
The man in the photo is Ochilboy Ramatov, 58 years old, a member of the Senate and First Deputy Prime Minister.
The dam was built by “Uztemiryulqurilishmontaj,” a company under the “Uzbekistan Railways,” which Ramatov leads.
His name has been linked to two major disasters in recent years: the landslide on the Yunusobod line of the Tashkent Metro, which killed six people, and the Sardoba dam collapse.
Who is the client?
The man in the other photo is Abdugani Sanginov, current Chairman of “Uzbekhydroenergo” JSC and a senator. He was both the state commissioner and, through his private subcontractors, directly involved in the construction.
Islam Abdurakhmonov, who participated in the construction of the dam, is the son of the state commissioner Sanginov.
This document reflects the involvement of Sanginov’s 26-year-old son, Islam Abduganiyevich Abdurakhmonov, in the construction of the reservoir.
Stand up, the court is coming
According to the logic of criminal law, Ramatov and the Sanginovs should be on trial. But when the case reached Tashkent City Criminal Court on December 28, 2020, neither Ochil Ramatov, Sanginov nor his sons were among the 17 defendants.
On January 5, the third closed session of the trial was held.
At the second session held on December 28, the indictment was read aloud, and the defendants were charged under six articles of the Criminal Code, including abuse of power, negligence, and violations of labor and safety regulations.
The indictment stated that the disaster at the Sardoba reservoir on May 1 of the previous year had caused a total of 45 billion soums in damages (approximately 4.28 million USD – ed.), part of which had been recovered.
According to a Tashkent-based lawyer, among the 17 defendants are 4 individuals from the “Uzbekhydroenergo” organization, 3 from “Uzbekistan Railways” JSC, and other officials involved in the construction of the reservoir.
At the trial, charges were brought under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan against Bakhshullo Asadov, head of the “Topalang” Canal Administration under “Uzbekhydroenergo”; M. Kholmatov, who served as the head of the “Directorate for the Construction of Hydraulic Structures” under “Uzbekistan Railways”; and 15 other officials who worked in various contracting organizations:
Article 209 (Official forgery);
Article 207 (Negligence in office);
Article 257 (Violation of labor protection rules);
Article 258 (Violation of safety rules in mining, construction, or blasting operations);
Article 167 (Embezzlement or misappropriation);
Article 203 (Violation of the conditions for the use of water or water bodies);
Article 205 (Abuse of power or official authority).
At the court session on January 5, the judge stated that 171 people had been questioned as part of the investigation of this criminal case, and among them were neither contractor Ramatov, nor customer Sanginov and his sons.
Why not? Relatives of the accused told “Eltuz” that, rather than the contractor and the client, it was mainly the leaders and employees of subcontractor companies involved in the construction of the Sardoba Reservoir who were being investigated and brought to court, which they expressed dissatisfaction with.
The fact that the heads of the companies responsible for the construction of the reservoir, the client, and the main contractor remain untouched has raised questions among the relatives of the 17 defendants behind bars.
The former head of “Uzbekhydroenergo,” Abdugani Sanginov, and his son Islam Abdurahmonov, who hired the contracting companies, continue to work without any hindrance.
According to a lawyer involved in the case, the Sanginovs’ property has not been affected.
Why is that? The answer is ready.
The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan has stated that the criminal case related to the Sardoba disaster is directly linked to state secrets, and for this reason, the court proceedings and related information are strictly confidential.
WHY IS IT BEING KEPT SECRET?
According to the theory of detective Sherlock Holmes, criminals will inevitably return to the scene of the crime. This is just a theory. Let’s recall the news related to the dam collapse.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the scene of the Sardoba dam collapse, accompanied by Abdugani Sanginov, one of the key authors of the project.
The client of the Sardoba dam was also Sanginov, and the builder was Sanginov as well! Following the collapse of the dam, it was also Sanginov who guided the president on a tour of the site.
If Uzbekistan had standard governance practices, after the disaster at the Sardoba dam, two officials — the client Abdugani Sanginov and the main contractor Ochilboy Ramatov — should have resigned. However, neither of them resigned, and the country’s justice system bypassed these two corruption figures.
Why? Because of Corruption and Nepotism
Radio Ozodlik reports that Sanginov has long-standing ties with the current president, dating back to their student years. He is also from the same village as Zainilobiddin Nizomiddinov, head of the Presidential Administration.
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‘Sanginov’s eldest son works at customs, giving them the ability to fast-track the clearance of machinery and other imported materials whenever needed. They can export goods in just an hour—something that would take an average businessperson up to ten days to accomplish.’
One of Sanginov’s other sons was employed at the Treasury Department within the Ministry of Finance and has since transitioned to the Ministry of Investment. He was deeply involved in accelerating the disbursement of state funds to the state enterprise overseen by his father, which were later directed to the family’s private company.
Another one is a department head at the General Prosecutor’s Office. If any problem arises, it’s resolved on the spot, and competitors know exactly what to expect. The youngest one is the official owner of the Sanginov business holding on paper.
It’s also important to note that Abdugani Sanginov, the oldest in the family, has four brothers who are “entrepreneurs” operating businesses connected to To‘palang HPD Systems.
In reality, these claims should have been openly discussed and weighed in a public court session. However, they were not.
An ancient hydraulic structure, the Sardoba, is a reservoir where rainwater collects, and it is an ancient construction designed to block the sun to prevent the water from evaporating.
Corruption in Uzbekistan is a closed system designed to steal budget funds in a society lacking transparency.
As a result of this system, the people are left destitute, and all the funds are accumulated in a criminal gang’s reservoir. If this structure of corruption is not dismantled, the entire nation will remain under the threat of not only a technological disaster but also social and political decline.
One year has passed since the Sardoba disaster. A year ago, as a result of the collapse of the Sardoba reservoir dam, 2,570 houses and 76 multi-story buildings were rendered uninhabitable, while 1,781 houses and 52 multi-story residential buildings were partially damaged.
Among those whose houses were destroyed, many are still living without shelter, and the homeless residents of Sardoba have appealed to Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov for the seventh time, but their efforts have been in vain.
Some of the individuals whose houses were destroyed in the Sardoba flood complain that they have not received the 40 million sum assistance promised by the government, nor have they been provided with housing.
At the beginning of the program, I recalled how branches frozen in winter come to life in the spring. However, the consequences of a dam built by humans should not be addressed by nature, but rather by the government.
The perpetrators must be punished, and the victims should receive compensation. The government must openly acknowledge that corruption lies behind this disaster.
“Corruption is the use of power not to serve the citizens, but solely to enrich oneself. Corruption is the rust, the corrosion, that destroys the state and the nation.”
That’s all for today. I am closing the investigation book. Meanwhile, today the corrupt individuals are on the throne, and likely, tomorrow, they will be in prison.
— Eltuz.com
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