Azattyk published a copy of the order on sending the Kyrgyz helicopters to participate in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, signed by the former President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev.
The decree proposes to approve the offer of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic on sending the aviation equipment (two Mi-24V and two Mi-8MTV) to participate in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The document was signed on October 8, 2014.
The Former Defense Minister Abibilla Kudaiberdiyev told Azattyk how the authorities tried to send the helicopters.
«In 2014, Almazbek Atambayev ordered to hand over the helicopters for lease. After the head of state allowed to send helicopters to Somalia via Uganda, on December 3, 2014, the director of the Kyrgyz Kural State Enterprise under the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry signed an agreement. But he did not have the right to sign the document. To do this, he needed to obtain a government permit. That did not happen. He independently signed the agreement, violating the law. Being aware that the agreement was illegal, I applied to the government, the State Committee for National Security and the Prosecutor General’s Office. Based on my request, the Prosecutor General’s Office instructed the Military Prosecutor’s Office to check everything. Naturally, they said to suspend the agreement, because «it was signed in violation of the law.» Helicopters remained in the country. And I was dismissed from my post,» Abibilla Kudaiberdiyev said.
The deputy Kanybek Imanaliev told about the attempt to send the helicopters to Somalia at a session of the Parliament. The General Staff denied the information.
