The Agency for State Fincial Control and Combating Corruption under the President of Tajikistan has instituted criminal proceedings against two employees of the Institute of Botany, Physiology and Plant Genetics under the country’s National Academy of Sciences on suspicion of embezzling more than 1 million somoni allocated for staff salaries.
The anticorruption agency identified the suspects as the institute’s chief accountant, Salohuddin Ahmadov, and accountant Farzona Ismati.
According to the agency, between 2023 and 2025 the two officials allegedly falsified financial documents and reported a total of 1.046 million somoni as salary payments and other expenditures. Investigators claim the funds were subsequently misappropriated.
The agency has not disclosed whether either suspect has been detained.
Criminal proceedings have been initiated under two articles of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code: Article 245, Part 4(b) — embezzlement or misappropriation of property; and Article 323 — official forgery.
If convicted, the defendants could face penalties ranging from substantial fines to up to 15 years in prison.
The case was referred to a court in the capital’s Sino district in May. It remains unclear whether the court has already issued a verdict.
The position of the defendants and their legal representatives has not been made public.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the misuse of public funds in state institutions. Embezzlement and misappropriation of budget resources remain among the most common corruption-related offenses in Tajikistan, with dozens of cases involving public-sector employees reported each year.
According to the anticorruption agency, authorities identified 1,979 corruption-related crimes involving 1,207 individuals in 2025. A total of 819 criminal cases were opened against 1,059 people and subsequently referred to courts for consideration.
