On March 5, a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council was held. During the event, the Head of state presented 55 concrete initiatives, including developing five laws, 12 decrees, and resolutions. One of the key initiatives focused on studying measures to combat a new form of corruption – cyber corruption.

The digital transformation of society and government simplifies citizens’ lives, reduces time and financial costs, fosters the digital economy, and leads to new financial assets. However, criminal activity is also evolving, using advanced technologies for illegal operations. 

Experts have identified a new type of crime – cyber corruption, also known as e-corruption or digital corruption. The most essential tool of this phenomenon is cryptocurrency. In Uzbekistan, cryptocurrency transactions are regulated by law, whereas in several other countries, including Algeria, Morocco, Vietnam, and Egypt, they are prohibited.

At the same time, cryptocurrency enables anonymous financial transactions, which can be exploited for illegal activities, including anonymous remote bribery, corruption-related embezzlement, financial fraud, and money laundering. 

In cases of cyber corruption, an official does not receive traditional forms of benefits such as cash, securities, or services, but instead gains income in the form of digital assets, including virtual currencies. Cryptocurrency operates on a blockchain platform that records and structures transaction data into a chain of blocks secured by cryptographic methods and distributed among all users. 

This feature can be misused for illicit and corrupt purposes, particularly in the giving or receiving bribes. Bribes in such cases may come in various forms, including electronic wallets, digital gift certificates, website domains, or flash drives containing access to virtual currency.

The use of cryptocurrency for money laundering, corruption-related transactions, and tax evasion poses a serious challenge, as the distributed ledger system allows transactions to be tracked but does not reveal the identities of the sender or recipient of digital funds. 

Addressing this issue requires cooperation with official electronic platforms linked to cryptocurrency exchanges, direct collaboration with crypto exchanges, and specialized software solutions for transaction tracking.

Furthermore, an integrated approach is essential for effectively combating cybercrime and corruption. It is necessary to consider not only legal, methodological, and technical aspects but also focus on training highly qualified specialists, as the rise of digital crimes becomes a global challenge. In response to this, the Presidential resolution of January 22 this year introduces new fields of study and specializations starting from the 2025/2026 academic year: at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a bachelor’s program in Law with a specialization in “Combating Crime in Digital Technologies”, with a four-year duration; at the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a master’s degree in “Legal Support for Cybersecurity”, with a one-year duration.

Cyber corruption is a new form of corruption-related crime with unique characteristics, making it particularly difficult to detect and prove. Effective countermeasures require improvements in legal regulation, training highly qualified specialists to combat cyber corruption in accordance with international standards, strengthening international cooperation, the provision of software and technical resources, and other necessary measures. 

Lyudmila Yugai,

Head of the Department of the Research Institute of Digital Forensics, 

Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 

UzA