DUSHANBE, March 31, 2015, Asia-Plus -- Two senior officials at the Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan (DCA) have been detained on suspicion of bribe taking.

The Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption says two senior officers at the Tajik counternarcotics agency were detained on suspicion of bribe taking on March 19 this year.  

The DCA investigative department chief Saymukhtor Bekov and the DCA operative-search department chief Ergash Malikov are reportedly suspected in accepting tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for re-qualifying charges brought against a suspect.

An official at the Tajik anticorruption agency says Bekov and Malikov received 42,000 U.S. dollars from suspect’s brother and demanded another 80,000 U.S. dollars.

“Ergash Malikov was caught red-handed on March 19 while taking 41,000 U.S. dollars from the suspect’s brother,” said the source.  “While searching Bekov’s office, the anticorruption officers found 23,000 U.S. dollars in his safe,” the source said.

Bekov and Malikov were taken into custody and criminal proceedings were instituted against them under Article 319 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – acceptance of a bribe; an investigation is under way.