In Kyrgyzstan, Munarbek Saipidinov was arrested on corruption charges

A Bishkek court ordered a close associate of former customs official Raimbek Matraimov — a central figure in Kyrgyzstan’s biggest corruption scandal — to remain in custody until Sept. 30 on corruption charges.

Prosecutors allege he and other officials transferred state-owned land and property in southern Kyrgyzstan into private hands.

Authorities did not disclose details about the land or the extent of the losses, but the transfers Munarbek Saipidinov is accused of date back to 2014. His lawyer denies the allegations and says he plans to fight them in court.

The Interior Ministry said Saipidinov was extradited from Russia on Aug. 7. A day earlier, he posted a video on Instagram saying he had been detained in Novosibirsk and accusing his godfather Matraimov of orchestrating his arrest.

“I believe this is part of actions taken against me by Raimbek Matraimov,” Saipidinov said. “I know many of his hidden affairs … he is trying to eliminate me so that this information does not become public.”

Saipidinov alleged those “hidden affairs” include the 2018 death of investigative journalist Ulan Egizbaev, who drowned under disputed circumstances, and the 2019 murder of Aierken Saimaiti, a self-described money launderer.

Saimaiti was a key source for a series of investigations by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and its partners that alleged Matraimov used political connections to move $700 million out of Kyrgyzstan. The reports sparked mass protests and calls for his arrest.

Matraimov, who previously pleaded guilty to corruption charges and has been sought by Kyrgyz authorities, has not publicly responded to his godson’s claims.