Two senior border guard officers have been detained by anticorruption officers on suspicion of taking a bribe.  Three days earlier, a senior anticorruption officer was detained by security officers on suspicion of a large-scale bribery.

The press center of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption says the chief of the Health Directorate of Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Colonel Jionkhon Azizov, and the deputy commander of the border unit deployed in the Panj district, Colonel Mirzodavlat Usmonzoda, have been detained on suspicion of taking a bribe       

Mrs. A. Umarova reportedly applied to the anticorruption agency on July 30, asking to take measures against Jionkhon Azizov and Mirzodavlat Usmonzoda who demand ransom from her for exemption of her sick relative from military. 

Usmonzoda received 15,000 somoni from her and Jionkhon Azizov received 17,000 somoni, according the anticorruption agency press center.    

Criminal proceedings have been institute against Usmonzoda and Azizov under the provisions of Article 319 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – bribery; an investigation is under way.  

Recall, the SCNS Center for Public Relations said on August 18 that the anticorruption agency senior officer, Colonel Jonibek Mahmadzoda, was caught red-handed on August 17 while taking a big bribe.

The SCNS Center for Public Relations has refrained from giving further details of the case.