Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia

The Kyrgyzneftegaz Case: Shairbek Tashiev Arrested

Shairbek, who resigned from parliament last month, had previously been questioned as a “witness” in the Kyrgyzneftgas case.

In the expanding Kyrgyzneftegaz case, Shairbek Tashiev – brother of former State Committee for National Security head Kamchybek Tashiev – has been arrested for corruption. 

Shairbek had previously been questioned as a “witness” on March 13, after which he resigned from parliament. Shairbek was questioned again in late March and formally arrested on April 1.

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs alleges Shairbek’s involvement in the Kyrgyzneftegaz corruption scandal.  

On March 16, the Kyrgyz State Tax Service’s PR department released an investigation titled “Oil for Their Own: How Kyrgyzneftegaz Was Ruined,” which alleged that over the last five years Kyrgyzneftegaz lost over 4 billion soms (around $45.7 million) in various shadowy schemes. The allegedly pilfered funds, the State Tax Service claimed, ended up in the pockets of relatives and close associates of Tashiev.

One of the schemes outlined allegedly involved the diversion of oil to private companies, which then resold it to the state-owned refinery, Kyrgyz Petroleum Company – whose director was Baigazy Matisakov, Kamchybek Tashiev’s nephew – making a profit along the way. 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs claims the state’s losses exceeded 4.1 billion soms.

Matisakov was arrested on March 18, along with the former chairman of the board of JSC Kyrgyzneftegaz, Nurgazy Nishanov; the former deputy chairman of the board, Ruslan Altymyshev; and the director Region Oil, Nazgul Aidarova.

Melis Turgunbaev, the former head of Kyrgyzstan’s National Bank – also previously at Kyrgyzneftgas, first as a member of its board, then as chairman – was detained on March 26. He was subsequently released to house arrest. 

Kamchybek Tashiev and his son, Tai-Muras, have been questioned as “witnesses” also. 

In 2022 Kyrgyz investigative outlet Temirov Live reported on exactly the same schemes that the Kyrgyz state has now dredged up, earning founder Bolor Temirov the direct ire of the state. That ultimately led to the revocation........

© The Diplomat