Introduction: Shokhrukh Daliyev’s political career
The corruption trail in student transfers
Madina Daliyeva: bribes as a way of life
World Languages University: the 2025 exam scandal
Pressure and dismissals of lecturers
The 2022 investigation: exposure and suppression
Rector Ilkhom Tukhtasinov: silence as survival strategy
The alliance of Daliyeva, Mukhammadjon Chutpulotov and Lochin Zaripov
“Game of Thrones” inside the university: clans at war
Tax evasion: black cash and invisible income
Systemic corruption in Uzbekistan’s education
The name Shokhrukh Daliyev is well known not only inside the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan, where he now serves as First Deputy Minister, but also in university corridors, where his surname has become a symbol of fear and impunity. For many years, he worked under the patronage of Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, building his own political “clan” within the Cabinet of Ministers. Report by PARTNERS EU
According to insiders in the government, Daliyev turned the process of transferring students between universities into a goldmine. Bribes for transfers flowed directly to him, bringing at least one million dollars a year in cash. The scheme lasted for years, effectively creating a shadow industry tolerated by the Cabinet of Ministers.
His wife, Madina Daliyeva, employed at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University, chose an even cruder form of corruption. During the 2025 state exams, she deliberately downgraded the marks of 4th-year students of the 3rd English faculty. The “solution” was offered: 250 dollars per student to fix the grades. With nearly 100 students involved, the amount collected reached around 25,000 dollars in black cash.
The scandal followed a simple but brutal scheme: grades downgraded, then “corrected” with cash. Almost 100 students were forced to pay 250 dollars each. Money was collected off the books and divided among insiders.
Lecturers who attempted to expose the scheme faced pressure and dismissals. Some were fired, others forced into silence. As one staff member said: “Going against Daliyeva is like standing in front of a bulldozer.”
Back in 2022, complaints against Daliyeva reached the top of the university. Former rector Ulugbek Azizov, vice-rector Bahrom Gulyamov, and dean Zafar Abdusamatov launched an official inquiry. The investigation confirmed corruption. But interference from Vice Minister Shokhrukh Daliyev derailed the process: instead of punishing Daliyeva, Azizov, Gulyamov and Abdusamatov were removed from their positions.
Current rector Ilkhom Tukhtasinov prefers to ignore the Daliyeva case. The logic is clear: confronting her means confronting her powerful husband and the Cabinet. Silence has become his only survival tactic.
Today, Madina Daliyeva strengthens her position through close ties with vice-rector Mukhammadjon Chutpulotov and head of the education quality control department Lochin Zaripov. According to insiders, the trio not only cover each other but also share the profits from student bribes.
The university leadership today looks like a battlefield divided into two camps:
The “New Guard”: Rector Ilkhom Tukhtasinov and his allies.
The “Old Guard”: the Daliyev family, Mukhammadjon Chutpulotov and Lochin Zaripov, shielded by the Cabinet of Ministers.
As staff describe, the atmosphere is reminiscent of “Game of Thrones”: every move can prove fatal.
All money extorted from students is collected in cash, completely bypassing official accounts. Tens of thousands of dollars each year escape taxation, becoming “black cash” divided among insiders. This means double crime: against the students and against the Uzbek state.
The story of the Daliyev family shows how corruption in higher education has become systemic. From the Cabinet of Ministers to the rector’s office, a vertical network of bribes and protection exists, with Madina Daliyeva, Shokhrukh Daliyev, Mukhammadjon Chutpulotov and Lochin Zaripov at its core.
Maria Sharapova
