Jailed Former Minister’s Son Extradited from Turkey

The Kyrgyz State Committee of National Security announced on October 17 that Kemelbek Kutmanov, the son of incarcerated former Natural Resources Minister Dinara Kutmanova, has been extradited from Turkey to face corruption charges, according to RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov had disclosed in July that Kutmanov was detained in Turkey at the request of Bishkek, linking him to alleged misappropriation of funds at the Kumtor gold mine. Kutmanov, suspected of involvement in the embezzlement, is the son of Dinara Kutmanova, who held the position of natural resources minister from May 2021 until March of the current year. She herself was arrested in July on suspicion of participating in the embezzlement, an accusation she has denied.