(from left to right) Latif Zhalov, Head of the Anti-corruption Department; OStA Dr Rüdiger Reiff, Head of the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office, Deputy Attorney General Svetlana Artikova, Prof Dr Bijan Nowrousian, Münster Police Academy. Uzbekistan
A seminar on the prevention and fight against corruption was held in Tashkent on 28-29 November 2023 to continue the anti-corruption consultations conducted in recent years by IRZ in collaboration with the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent City Prosecutor's Office. This seminar focused on the criminal liability of legal entities.
The 40 participants were high-ranking representatives from the relevant departments of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Supreme Court, the Customs Authority, and potential investigators from the Academy of Law Enforcement Authorities.
The Uzbek speakers presented the anti-corruption reforms in Uzbekistan, in particular the priorities set and the successes achieved to date.
The experts from Germany provided an overview of the current situation in the fight against corruption in the Federal Republic, and set out the manifestations of corruption in the state and society and addressed the procedures, perpetrators and the damage.
The German contingent explored and discussed the topics of the detection of corruption, the legal protection of whistleblowers, (criminal) responsibility of managing directors and legal entities, compliance in companies and in the public authorities, asset confiscation in the event of corruption offences and the criminal liability of bribery of members of parliament in Germany
Sascha Kuhring, Deputy Head of the Security Department at penitentiary institution Moabit; Sergey Frenkel, Deputy Head of the Public Prosecutor´s Office Tashkent, Heiko Möllendorf, Senior Prison Service Manager, Dildora Asatellaeva, local representative in Uzbekistan (from left to right). Uzbekistan
As a follow-up to the working visit of an Uzbek delegation to Berlin in April 2024, a seminar on prison reform incorporating international standards took place in Tashkent on August 29, 2024.
The Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan opened the seminar with the Head of the International Legal department, Rustam Giyasov, and Mirmukhammad Mirkhamidov, executive Head of the Department for monitoring the legality of the execution of judicial acts. They emphasized the importance of exchanging professional experiences at the international level, the desire to improve the work with convicts and to ensure the protection of human rights. The introductory lecture by the public prosecutor Farrukh Rakhmatullayev focused on the role of the public prosecutor as a supervisory authority in the penal system.
With Sascha Kuhring, Deputy Head of the Security Department at penitentiary institution Moabit, and his colleague Heiko Möllendorf, Senior Prison Service Manager, two extremely experienced practitioners were on hand. In the context of protecting human rights in the penal system, they described the regulations of penal institutions in Germany, addressed the rights and duties of convicts, and reported on further training for prison staff and topics such as security management and hazard prevention.
The exchange of experiences was very beneficial for the participants, most of whom work in the penal system. They were particularly impressed by the opportunities for the resocialization of convicts and by the educational work of the staff in German prisons.
Gerald Rübsam (2nd from left) and Helmut Leithäuser (4th from left) at the seminar on investigative proceedings Uzbekistan
In order to strengthen operational search and investigation activities, Uzbekistan is introducing a new office of investigating judge on January 1, 2025. Against this backdrop, IRZ and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan held a seminar on the protection of civil rights in investigative proceedings in Tashkent on August 27 and 28, 2024. Over 70 judges from all over Uzbekistan took part in the event.
IRZ experts, former presiding judge Helmut Leithäuser and former senior public prosecutor Gerald Rübsam, explained the legal foundations, framework conditions and special features of this area of law in Germany and, above all, provided practical approaches to safeguarding the rights of the accused.
The Supreme Court has already requested further consultations to share German experience and these are currently being planned.
