BISHKEK – Law enforcement officials in Kyrgyzstan have taken into custody the brother of a former high-ranking security official who lost his position in February, according to a Wednesday announcement from the country’s interior ministry.
Kamchybek Tashiev, the dismissed security chief, had been considered the nation’s second-most influential figure behind President Sadyr Japarov before his sudden removal from office. Following his termination, Tashiev faced corruption allegations as part of an expanding crackdown on his political network in the Central Asian nation of 7 million residents.
The interior ministry’s announcement detailed that the charges against Shairbek Tashiev, Kamchybek’s brother and a former member of parliament, center on suspected corrupt activities involving oil reselling operations.
Government officials have calculated initial losses to the state treasury at 4.1 billion soms, equivalent to approximately $47 million, and are demanding reimbursement from Shairbek Tashiev, who is now being held at a detention center in Bishkek. Both he and additional family members had faced repeated questioning during the ongoing investigation.
Since the former security chief’s removal from power, numerous government officials considered part of his political circle have either been terminated or stepped down voluntarily, including cabinet ministers, city leaders, and parliamentary members.
The Russia-aligned nation has recently faced increased attention from Western governments, who claim Kyrgyzstan has helped Moscow circumvent international sanctions. Several of the country’s financial institutions and digital currency companies have been targeted with sanctions as a result. Kyrgyzstan has objected to these actions, describing them as “one-sided.”
