Election observer from Germany is accused of taking bribe in Uzbekistan
Hasanboy Burkhanov, leader of the opposition movement “Erkin O’zbekiston”, has accused German Left Party politician Andre Novak of corruption. According to the opposition, the German observer during the parliamentary elections of Uzbekistan compromised himself by a joint feast with representatives of the criminal world. Mr. Novak is the head of the office of the German Bundestag deputy Andre Khan.
On December 20, after arriving in Tashkent, Andre Novak celebrated his birthday in a campaign of guests, including Oybek Isakov. According to Burkhanov, he is “repeatedly tried for economic crimes and fraud”.
The celebration of the birthday of the party projectionist was attended by two candidates for deputies of the Uzbek Parliament. They handed the observer gifts in the form of a picture and cognac, and also paid the bill of the fish restaurant for 11 people.
Isakov really worked as a lawyer with the creator of the financial pyramid, Akhmad Tursunbaev. On October 28, 2019, the Tashkent Regional court found Tursunbaev guilty of an offense under paragraphs a, с of part 3 of article 168 (“Fraud”) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. Almost 12 thousand people suffered from the machinations of the entrepreneur.
In May of last year, Oybek Isakov was sentenced to 6 years’ probation under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code for fraud and legalization of proceeds of crime. The court took into account the physical condition and social activities of the person under investigation, who now works at the Association of disabled people of Uzbekistan.
In his indignation, the Uzbek oppositionist is wondering, “How can a German politician receive gifts (that are real bribe) from deputies, and then sing praises of the elections criticized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe?”
Hasanboy Burkhanov hopes that a special commission of inquiry under the Bundestag will help get answers. “I, who survived the suffering due to my uncompromising fight against corruption in Uzbekistan, found refuge in Germany, which protected me from the persecution and humiliation of a corrupt state and an authoritarian regime. I don’t even want to allow the thought that corruption will someday be found in a democratic Germany,” the oppositionist noted.
