Is the head of the Migration Agency involved in the "Korea case"?

The Migration Agency stated that in recent days, messages being spread on some Telegram channels and internet resources against the agency's leadership and employees are unverified and do not correspond to the truth.

 

A person who introduced himself as Azizbek Toshtemirov, a former head of a department at the Migration Agency, published a series of posts on the Telegram channel "Korea 24 hours" regarding the current and former heads of the agency.

 

The posts on the "Korea 24 hours" channel put forward claims that the former head of the Migration Agency, Afzal Ermatov, organized artificial queues for sending workers to South Korea during the pandemic, collected additional funds from some citizens, and that there was illegal interference in the examination processes.

 

Also, a number of accusations were made against the current director, Behzod Musayev. Specifically, allegations were made regarding the processes of issuing licenses to private employment agencies, the system for sending workers to Korea, and situations related to certain personal assignments.

 

The Telegram channel published documents confirming these claims, as well as correspondence and audio recordings from Telegram.

 

According to Interpol data, 35-year-old Azizbek Toshtemirov, born in Andijan region, has been accused of fraud and placed on an international wanted list. He previously headed the Migration Agency's representative office in South Korea.

 

In May, the department under the General Prosecutor's Office announced that a large-scale corruption scheme related to sending Uzbeks to work in South Korea had been uncovered. According to preliminary data, more than 100 million US dollars were illegally collected from citizens through this scheme.

 

According to the agency's report, authorized law enforcement bodies are conducting inspections and investigative actions in accordance with the procedure established by law regarding these situations. It was noted that a legal assessment will be given to all circumstances based on the results of the investigation.

 

The official statement emphasized that information concerning the activities of state bodies and their officials should be evaluated only based on reliable evidence and official sources.

 

It was also stated that measures provided for by law will be taken against actions aimed at disseminating personal information, publishing information damaging honor and dignity, and misleading the public on internet networks.

 

The Migration Agency announced that it continues its activities based on the principles of openness, legality, and responsibility, and will ensure that the situations are clarified in cooperation with law enforcement bodies.

 

The agency called on the public and representatives of mass media to rely only on official sources when disseminating information.