The U.S. forfeiture case that seeks some $850 million in alleged bribes paid to Uzbekistan government officials has been moved into settlement discussions between American and Uzbek authorities over who has rights to the assets.

The case from February was grouped into existing discussions between the two countries over a 2015 kleptocracy case arising from the same telecoms deal that sought around $300 million in improper payments. Uzbekistan has claimed ownership of the funds, and both cases have been paused until July 31...