A top official at a state-owned natural gas pipeline operator in Uzbekistan was detained by authorities there for allegedly taking part in unauthorized supplies of gas to a plant while the rest of the population was subjected to ongoing shortages, bne Intellinews reports.
Sardar Umurzakov, the chief of the presidential administration, warned last week that further executives would experience the same punishment. Since his appointment in July, Umurzakov has used harsh rhetoric to criticize the alleged failures of regional heads and other officials.
Several managers in the energy industry have been detained, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s office, as part of an investigation into gas usage. The most well-known of the group is Muzaffar Aliyev, who oversees the operator of the gas distribution network’s Tashkent section.
In the fall and winter, when homes are most in need of fuel for heating, Aliyev is accused of overseeing the continuation of the gas supply to a brick plant, which was supposed to have its supplies terminated.
The plant utilized a quantity of gas over a 10-day period, according to the prosecution, that could have been used by almost 5,000 families had the stoppage of supplies been enforced.
According to Umurzakov, Aliyev’s detention ought to serve as a lesson to people all around the nation.
