Kyrgyz president breaks silence on criminal boss’s murder

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on Monday broke a 12-day silence on the killing of the country’s most powerful crime boss, who is believed to have been closely linked to the Kyrgyz leadership.

Japarov said he knew about the special security service operation during which Kamchy Kolbayev had been killed “like everyone else, from the internet”.

Japarov told the official Kabar news agency that he has ordered the Military Prosecutor’s Office “to investigate the legality of the operation”.

“An investigation is under way, let’s wait for its outcome,” he said.

Kolbayev’s killing on 4 October was followed up with a wide crackdown on his criminal network. 

In a statement on the clampdown on Kolbayev’s “criminal empire”, the Kyrgyz security service accused him of using his criminal resources to influence “political processes in the country”. 

Kyrgyz politics has long been intertwined with the criminal world, with politicians hiring criminal mobs to intimidate and oust opponents.   

Observers say that Kolbayev played a key role in bringing to power the current power tandem of President Japarov and Security Chief Kamchybek Tashiyev in 2020.

There is speculation that Kolbayev’s removal could signal a major rift between Japarov and Tashiyev. Japarov’s long silence on the killing and his remarks suggesting the operation against Kolbayev had been carried out behind his back give credence to this theory.

Japarov also said on Monday that Kyrgyzstan must fight organised crime to build “a developed state”.

“Of course, criminal groups are bad not just for the state and citizens, but also for investors’ activity,” he said.

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