Kyrgyz authorities on Tuesday detained a power broker accused of corruption against former President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, as a new acting leader seeks to consolidate power through an anti-graft campaign.
Former
Deputy Customs Chief Rayimbek Matraimov was considered’ a major financial
supporters of political parties and presidents, including Jeenbekov.
Jeenbekov
resigned last week in the wake of protests following the disputed parliamentary
elections on October 4, which ousted Makarov as prime minister and acting
president.
Matraimov
and other officials were part of "a corruption scheme set up to extract
shady revenue during customs administration," the NSC said.
A
scheme was launched’ in 2016, when Matraimov was still in office, causing
"particularly massive damage" to the state budget.
Japarov
promised to bring Matraimov to justice over claims in a media report that he
was the center of a 700 million scheme in the impoverished republic.
He
said last week that Matraimov was linked’ to "90 percent of state
officials."
"What
to do? Let only 10% work?" He asked.
Matraimov
is seen’ as a key supporter of the Mekenim Kyrgyzstan Party, which won a
parliamentary vote, as well as a party called Bermemek, which included Jeenbekov’s
brother.
Last
year, he was the target of protests led by civic groups who called on
authorities to investigate the allegations in an anti-worker report.
The
exact nature of Jeenbekov’s relationship with Matraimov was unknown, with some
observers speculating that he was approaching the end of Jeenbekov’s tenure.
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Make a 'good show'.
But
Jeenbekov, in particular, failed to pursue the criminal investigation into the
targeting and money laundering that opened after the protests.
The
publisher of the report, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project,
described Matraimov as the "gatekeeper of the Central Asian cargo empire
underground."
A
group of men beat Bolot Temirov, an investigative journalist, shortly after publishing
a separate report on Matraimov's wealth.
"The
new authorities need to do well as soon as possible," Temirov said.
"Matraimov's
capture is a victory for them. But the danger is the same. (Matraimov) has the
money and the influence."
Matraimov
and Jeenbekov’s affiliated parties were accused’ of massive vote-buying, and
the results were annulled after clashes broke out between police and supporters
of opposition parties.
Japarov,
51, who claimed power less than two weeks before his supporters were released’
from prison, called himself a reformist in a speech on Friday, a day after Jeenbekov’s
resignation.
The
popular politician said the fight against corruption would "cease to be a
means of eliminating political opponents", promising organized crime and
"restricting its terms".
Amid
media accusations of overnight rise to power during the post-election crisis,
Japarov has angrily rejected suggestions that he has his own links to organized
crime.
With
parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections expected by
mid-January, Japarov will still have to work to strengthen his grip on the
former Soviet state.
So
far, there is no indication that key ally Russia is recognizing its new role.
Prior
to his release, he was serving a prison term for hostage-taking. The incident
is related’ to an incident that took place in 2013 during a rally in support of
the nationalization of a major foreign gold mine.
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