Criminal inquiries against officials close to Atambayev not political - Kyrgyz Security Council secretary
BISHKEK. May 31 (Interfax) - The Kyrgyz Security Council's Secretary Damir Sagynbayev has denied that the country's former officials were being persecuted on political grounds.
"Law enforcement agencies are not persecuting certain officials," Sagynbayev told a press conference on Thursday.
"The opening of criminal cases into numerous instances of corruption and other official crimes, with subsequent arrests of high-ranking officials, is a direct consequence of the high level of corruption within certain state agencies," Sagynbayev said.
There is "nothing political" about the actions of law enforcement authorities, he said.
Starting from July 1, the tax declarations of high-ranking politicians and administrators will be subject to a massive inspection, he said.
"The criminal code imposes liability for the legalization of criminal proceeds and illegal enrichment by an official. In the event of uncovering instances of officials spending well in excess of their incomes, materials against such individuals will be sent to prosecutors for a legal assessment of their actions," Sagynbayev said.
The results of the inspection will be announced at the end of August, he said.
At a Security Council meeting on February 8 Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov announced a crackdown on corruption regardless of status and relations. This led to several dozen high-profile inquiries launched between March and May, including against officials from the close entourage of ex-president Almazbek Atambayev.