Brother, Associate Of Fugitive Ex-Customs Deputy Chief Give Up Seats In Kyrgyz Parliament

Iskender Matraimov (left to right), Raimbek Matraimov, Nurlan Rajabaliev (combo photo)

The Kyrgyz Central Election Commission on February 22 annulled the mandates of lawmakers Iskender Matraimov and Nurlan Rajabaliev at their own requests. The former is a brother and the latter a close associate of the former deputy chief of the Customs Service, Raimbek Matraimov, who was added to the wanted list last month on charges of abduction and the illegal incarceration of unspecified individuals. Raimbek Matraimov, who escaped imprisonment in 2021 by paying 2 billion soms ($22.4 million) to Kyrgyzstan's State Treasury, was hit with the new charges after Kyrgyz police shot dead criminal kingpin Kamchybek Kolbaev in October.
To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.