Uzbekistan’s NAPP chief Dmitry Lee accused of fraud tied to $30M high-risk payments scheme

06 December 2025 , 16:22

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Uzbekistan’s NAPP chief Dmitry Lee accused of fraud tied to $30M high-risk payments scheme

Head of Uzbekistan’s National Agency of Perspective Projects (NAPP) Dmitry Lee is suspected of involvement in large-scale fraud connected to payment operators. If the accusations are confirmed, Lee may soon face dismissal — and the scandal could drag down influential banking figures as well.

Before leading NAPP, Lee served as director of the National Project Management Agency under the president of Uzbekistan (since 2019), and was previously its first deputy director. He is also the president of the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan.

The suspected scheme is linked to a high-risk payment channel involving Kapital Bank, Ipak Yuli Bank, Ravnaq (Octobank) and the UzNext crypto exchange. Throughout 2023, over $30 million were reportedly frozen under various pretexts. Betting companies sent funds to the banks directly or via payment services, after which the money was transferred to UzNext and converted into USDT minus commission before being sent to clients. However, over time payouts were delayed, assets were blocked, and unexplained fines appeared — allegedly justified by “stalled funds” on UzNext and partner exchanges.

People familiar with the process believe a fraud group operating within Uzbekistan’s system used administrative leverage to influence payment services. With the support of local officials, including the police, the group allegedly pushed competing payment services out of the country to monopolize high-risk traffic.

The frozen funds belong to major betting companies now trying — unsuccessfully — to recover their money. According to available information, the network involves Environex, the UzNext exchange, the Kobea Group (South Korea), and the three banks mentioned above. Technical implementation is attributed to the PayCrypto service run by Andrey Oshchipkov, while supervision of the scheme is linked to Dmitry Lee.

If the investigation moves forward, the case could become one of the most resonant financial scandals in Uzbekistan’s recent financial sector.

David Wilson