A Bishkek court has ruled that a close associate of former deputy customs chief Raimbek Matraimov must remain in pre-trial detention until late September. The individual faces charges related to the illegal privatization of state-owned land and property in the south of the country.
The suspect, Munarbek Saipidinov, was recently extradited from Russia. Prior to his transfer, he publicly accused his so-called “godfather,” Matraimov, of orchestrating his detention. In a social media video, Saipidinov claimed the arrest was an attempt to silence him, alleging he possesses compromising information about Matraimov’s activities.
Saipidinov specifically linked Matraimov to the unresolved deaths of two individuals: investigative journalist Ulan Egizbaev in 2018 and Aierken Saimaiti in 2019. Saimaiti had been a primary source for international investigations that accused Matraimov of facilitating the outflow of hundreds of millions of dollars from Kyrgyzstan, reports which previously triggered significant public unrest.
The alleged property transfers under investigation are reported to have occurred nearly a decade ago. The defendant’s legal representative has dismissed the accusations, stating an intent to vigorously challenge them in court.
Matraimov, a central figure in one of the nation’s most significant corruption scandals, has previously admitted guilt to corruption charges and remains a wanted man. He has not issued any public statement regarding the recent allegations made by his former associate.
