Sukhrob Rakhimov, who was supposed to defend the interests of his client, AgroinvestBank, was caught receiving the equivalent of US$2,500 from the owner of three apartments in Dushanbe. The deal was to remove the owner from the bank’s records so he would not have to pay the rest of his mortgages.
The bank has gone bankrupt two years ago.
The Anti – Corruption agency of Tajikistan caught the lawyer and the owner red-handed but according to the country’s law, only the one receiving a bribe is regarded guilty of a crime, not the one giving it.
Rakhimov was detained and faces a fine - for the next three years he may have to pay the equivalent of $5,82 each month. The average monthly salary in Tajikistan is $150.
The punishment could also come in the form of a ban to perform his profession for up to two years or up to three years of prison or house arrest.
