Traffic police among most corruption-prone units in Tajikistan, survey finds

Tajikistan's traffic police are among the most corruption-prone units within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, according to a recent nationwide sociological survey.

The study, conducted in 2025 by the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption in collaboration with the Center for Strategic Studies, polled 10,000 residents across 28 cities and districts. Findings indicate that 19% of respondents who experienced corruption reported it within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Within the ministry's various departments, the State Automobile Inspectorate, commonly known as the traffic police, was cited in 40.9% of these corruption cases.

This means nearly half of all reported corruption incidents within the Interior Ministry involved traffic police officers. The passport service followed with 18.4% of cases, and district police inspectors with 9.7%. While the full breakdown of corruption incidents within the ministry was not published, the survey clearly highlights the traffic police as a major area of concern.

Concerns about corruption within the traffic police were echoed earlier this year by the anticorruption agency's director, Sulaimon Sultonzoda. He stated in February that the traffic police ranked second among government institutions for the volume of corruption-related violations uncovered in 2025, surpassed only by the International Airport. The agency reported that financial damages exceeding 240 million somonis were identified in just one division of the State Automobile Inspectorate. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against employees involved in registering vehicles without customs clearance, though the status of these cases remains unclear.