09:51, 17 августа 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Aida DZHUMASHOVA
The criminal case against the Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Alymkadyr Beishenaliev was dismissed due to a lack of evidence. His lawyer Kaisyn Abakirov announced.
According to him, the investigators came to this conclusion because all decisions on the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines were made taking into account the acute epidemiological situation in the country at that time. Decisions were made on the basis of a number of decrees of the Cabinet of Ministers in agreement with Parliament and internal audit materials.
«No material damage has been caused to the state, and so far the population of the republic has been provided with vaccines against COVID-19. Government expenses of $13,454 million were reimbursed by the World Bank. Alymkadyr Beishenaliev has every right to be reinstated in office of the Minister of Health,» Kaisyn Abakirov told.
Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported that Alymkadyr Beishenaliev unreasonably bought 2,460 million doses of the vaccine in 2021. The money was transferred to offshore accounts.
«Due to the fact that more than 3 million doses of the vaccine were unnecessary, the remaining vaccines expire. The state suffered damage in the amount of 1,581,474,315 soms,» the supervisory authority noted.
In total, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened seven criminal cases against the Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliev: one — on corruption, two — on extortion of a bribe, four — on abuse of official position and conclusion of a knowingly unprofitable contract.
In addition to the head of the ministry, Deputy Minister Uluk-Bek Bekturganov, Director of the Republican Center for Immunoprophylaxis Gulbara Ishenapysova and the head of the Department of Medicines and Medical Products Sultan Satarbekov were detained within the case on corruption in the procurement of vaccines against COVID-19. Later, the court placed the head of the Ministry of Health, his former deputy and director of the Republican Immunoprophylaxis Center under house arrest.