The State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (CNSK) has reported that members of a transnational organized criminal group, on the instruction of former Kyrgyz oligarch Rayimbek Matraimov, were preparing an assassination attempt on the country’s top officials.
The committee stated that the standard operating activities of Kyrgyz national-security organs led to the discovery of five citizens of Azerbaijan who under the leadership of a transnational organized criminal group, had arrived in Kyrgyzstan in order to strengthen their criminal enterprise and spread the group’s ideology. However, according to the CNSK, the leader’s main task was to organize an assassination attempt on the country’s leadership in connection with the government’s policy of fighting organised crime. Kyrgyz law enforcement claims that the leaders of the international criminal community are dissatisfied with the actions of the Kyrgyz authorities — which force people involved in crime in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to abandon criminal plans.
“In this regard, on March 22, employees of the CNSK carried out operational and investigative measures, as a result of which all the above-mentioned persons were detained. Currently, investigative measures are being carried out to bring them to justice, according to the laws of Kyrgyzstan,” the CNSK said.
Law enforcement claims that the assassination attempt on the Kyrgyz leaders was organized by Raimbek Matraimov, former deputy head of Kyrgyz customs, and a known corrupt oligarch. After being placed on the wanted list, Matraimov fled to Azerbaijan, where he remains at present. The CNSK sent a letter to Baku requesting the extradition of Matraimov to Bishkek in the belief that the former official is related to the currently detained Azerbaijanis.
After the change of power in October 2020, Matraimov was accused of corruption in the customs service. The court ordered the former official to pay 2 billion som ($22.3 million) in damages and restitution back to the state. Matraimov pleaded guilty and paid the fines and penalties, in both cash and in the form of property. But, as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov later noted, Matraimov continued to engage in “dark deeds” and was also accused of holding hostages.
“Now Matraimov has been put on a wanted list. All his property in Osh and throughout Kyrgyzstan will be confiscated. We will not leave him even one hundredth [of a hectare] of land. Even if he returns, he will no longer be the former ‘Rayim-million’ (the oligarch’s nickname). From now on, if he wants to live normally and feed himself, he should take a trading [stall] at the market…” said Kamchibek Tashiev, head of the CNSK at a meeting with workers at one of the markets previously owned by Matraimov.
Last year, when the authorities engaged in a high-profile struggle with the leaders of organized crime groups, many so-called ‘thieves in law’ began, one after another, to publicly renounce criminal activity and promised to live by the law. Conversely, some leaders of Kyrgyzstan’s criminal underworld were arrested and had their assets seized. One criminal mastermind when searched, was found to have jewellery worth over $1 billion in his possession.
