MAKERS OF A FORGED $1MLN BILL RED-HANDED IN UZBEKISTAN

Akipress (subscription), Kyrgyzstan
April 17 2006

– A Russian and an Armenian have been detained in Uzbekistan while
trying to sell a $1 million banknote at half price, Uzbek prosecutors
said Friday.

“The counterfeit banknote was seized as it was being traded off to an
Uzbek national for $500,000,” said Zuraf Yuldashev, senior inspector
at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The would-be buyer said the men had offered him the bill at a discount,
citing an urgent need for small change.

“A forensic examination has shown that the $1mln banknote is a
skillfully made fake,” Yuldashev said.

According to finance specialists, dollar bills with a face value of
1 million are issued for interbank operations.