JUNE 3 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) -An estimated 300 people in Osh, south Kyrgyzstan, blocked a main road to protest the arrest of former parliamentarian Ahmatbek Keldibekov. The authorities have accused Mr Keldibekov of abuse of office. Any sign of unrest in south Kyrgyzstan is a potential problem.
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(News report from Issue No. 187, published on JUNE 4 2014)
MAY 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) -The US has offered incentives of up to $1m for information on how Kyrgyz criminal boss Kamchybek Kolbayev runs a money laundering and people trafficking network, media reported. Kyrgyzstan is set to release Kolbayev from jail next month, setting itself up for a clash with the US.
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(News report from Issue No. 187, published on JUNE 4 2014)
MAY 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Georgia acquitted ex-Georgian defence minister Davit Kezerashvili, an associate of former president Mikheil Saakashvili, of money laundering and bribe-taking. Mr Kezerashvili was tried in absentia as he is in France on bail after his extradition request was declined.
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(News report from Issue No. 186, published on May 28 2014)
MAY 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) -Protesters stormed the presidential administration in the Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia, forcing Aleksandr Ankvab, its leader, to flee. Protesters said they were frustrated with corruption. Mr Ankvab later denounced their action as a coup attempt. Russia has supported Abkhazian independence from Georgia since a 2008 war.
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(News report from Issue No. 186, published on May 28 2014)
May 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin)- In a rare admission of rampant corruption, Kyrgyzstan’s government announced it would dissolve Agroprod, the commercial arm of the ministry of agriculture. Agroprod was considered riven through with corruption and inefficiencies. It’s unclear what the Kyrgyz government plans to replace Agroprod with.
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(News report from Issue No. 185, published on May 21 2014)
MAY 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Almaty city filed a law suit in California against former mayor Viktor Khrapunov which it accuses of systematic corruption. Mr Khrapunov was mayor of Almaty between 2004 and 2007. He was briefly minister of emergencies before he fled to Switzerland. He is a resident of Switzerland and listed as one of its richest people.
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(News report from Issue No. 184, published on May 14 2014)
MAY 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in Bishkek said they had arrested four policemen for extorting cash from foreigners by falsely accusing them of rape. Media reports said that a female accomplice would set up dates with foreign men and then accuse them, falsely, of rape.
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(News report from Issue No. 184, published on May 14 2014)
APRIL 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Corruption at universities in Kazakhstan is now so endemic that it has become an industry worth $100m a year, media reported quoting the ministry of education. Buying a decent grade in an exam costs about $300. Corruption is still rampant in Kazakhstan despite the government’s attempts to stamp it out.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
APRIL 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Perhaps highlighting his reformer credentials, Kyrgyzstan’s new PM, Joomart Ortobayev, criticised the the police for being flawed and corrupt, media reported. Mr Ortobayev said the police were not doing enough to stop the illegal trade in coal. Foreign investors have often complained about police corruption.
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(News report from Issue No. 182, published on April 30 2014)
APRIL 9 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh courts badly need to root out corruption, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State Adilbek Dzhaksybekov said. His comments are a rare admission from a Kazakh government official that more needs to be done to reform corruption institutions.
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(News report from Issue No. 180, published on April 16 2014)