Ex-Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Felix Kulov, believes that imposition of sanctions against the ex-deputy chairman of the State Customs Service of Kyrgyzstan Raiymbek Matraimov will not affect the country for the most part. But if the government ignores sanctioning of Matraimov, there may be consequences in the future that will affect relations with the United States.
According to Felix Kulov, the lack of reaction of the Kyrgyz authorities can be regarded in USA as an attempt to shield the odious former customs officer from justice. «The Americans will conclude that there is a concealment and his removal from the actions of investigative authorities. This is fraught with a certain cooling in relations between the countries,» Felix Kulov said.
It may affect visa policy. This will be done in order the ordinary citizens to demand from the government of the Kyrgyz Republic to take measures.
Felix Kulov
Joint journalistic investigation by Azattyk, Kloop and OCCRP on smuggling and corruption at Customs caused a wide public outcry.
Raiymbek Matraimov is a defendant in a criminal case on corruption at the Customs Service. In November 2019, he was already summoned for interrogation by the State Committee for National Security.
In October, the national security bodies of Kyrgyzstan began pre-trial proceedings on the fact of corruption at the Customs. It was found out that since the beginning of 2016 to the present the former deputy chairman of the Customs Service Raiymbek Matraimov, other officials of the state service and controlled participants of the foreign economic activity established a corruption scheme on extraction of shadow incomes during customs administration, as a result of which the state budget was damaged on an especially large scale.
The detainee agreed to enter into a plea bargain and stated that he was ready to reimburse 2 billion soms to the budget. The court released Raiymbek Matraimov on pledge not to leave town. He had to transfer the entire amount of damage by the end of November 2020.
