Former head of Migration Agency acquitted of fraud and money laundering charges, released from prison

Afzal Irmatov, who headed the External Labor Migration Agency from March 17, 2022, until his arrest on January 2, 2023, has been acquitted. He had previously been accused of collecting nearly 14.5 billion UZS in excess payments from citizens traveling to South Korea, allegedly in collusion with members of an organized group. In the initial court ruling, Irmatov was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Between March 17 and May 27, 2022, Irmatov served as Acting Director of the External Labor Migration Agency, and from May 27, 2022, to January 2, 2023, he held the position officially. He was arrested on January 2, 2023, and taken into custody. Authorities accused him of conspiring with others to extort extra money from citizens leaving for South Korea as labor migrants.

In a verdict dated May 13, 2024, the Yunusabad District Criminal Court found Irmatov guilty under Article 25-168, Part 4 (a, v) (attempted large-scale fraud), Article 168, Part 4 (a, v) (large-scale fraud), and Article 243 (legalization of proceeds from criminal activity) of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and barred from holding positions involving financial responsibility and authority in the migration sector for three years.

However, the Criminal Division of the Tashkent City Court, acting as the appellate instance, issued a ruling on July 30, 2024, modifying the verdict. It acquitted Irmatov of the charges under Article 243 on the grounds that no crime had occurred. His remaining charges under Article 25-168 and Article 168 were reduced to a fine of 180 million UZS and a three-year ban on holding positions of authority and financial responsibility in the migration sector.

The 576 days Irmatov had already spent in detention were deducted from the sentence, reducing the fine to 93.6 million UZS. He was released from custody immediately in the courtroom.

According to the court ruling reviewed by Kun.uz, Irmatov was alleged to have formed an organized group during January–December 2022 with the aim of profiting through fraudulent means. The group reportedly extorted excess payments from individuals confirmed to be traveling to South Korea as labor migrants, collecting a total of 14.416 billion UZS between January 6 and December 19, 2022.

However, a final ruling by the Supervisory Instance of the Tashkent City Criminal Court on April 8, 2025, declared Irmatov not guilty and officially rehabilitated him. The criminal case against him was closed.

News of Irmatov’s arrest first surfaced in March 2023. He had previously served as the head of the External Labor Migration Agency from 2010 to 2013 as well.

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