Former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev has been arrested on charges of corruption and illegal enrichment.
The press service of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reports.
According to the investigation, being the Prime Minister, Abylgaziev signed a government decree, thereby helping the mining company Kumtor Gold to illegally obtain additional land for geological work and gold mining.
As a result, the total area of the mine doubled and reached 26.3 thousand hectares, including several glaciers and a protected area.
At the same time, Abylgaziev ignored a current government decree banning the expansion of the Kumtor mine.
The accused is also suspected of illegally increasing his assets, which are several times higher than his official income.
The politician invested these assets in elite real estate in Bishkek and nearby districts. Straw persons were registered as owners of all these assets, the SCNS said.
At the moment, Abylgaziev is placed in the detention facility of the SCNS. The investigation is underway.
Financial police said in October last year that Abylgaziev was ordered to remain in the country.
Abylgaziev, 53-year-old, served as prime minister from 2018 to 2020. He resigned on June amid an abrupt rise of COVID-19 cases in Kyrgyzstan.
