DUSHANBE, August 6, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Director of the Medical College in the northern city of Konibodom, Mr. Abdumannon Umarov, has been detained on suspicion of having been involved in bribery.

According the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Umarov demanded 1,300 U.S. dollars through his mediator from local resident for entering the college.

“Umarov was caught red-handed in his office yesterday, while he was taking $1,000 from the entrant,” the source at a MoI said, noting that criminal proceedings have been instituted against Umarov under the provisions of Article 319, Part 2 (bribery) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code.

Over the first six months of this year, Tajik anticorruption agency has uncovered 408 corruption cases.  The agency has investigated 178 criminal proceedings over the same six-month period and 150 criminal proceedings instituted against 207 people have already moved to courts.