AUG.11 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili responded to criticism from US senators that Georgia was unfairly prosecuting former president Mikheil Saakashvili for abuse of power by saying his prosecution would create a more equal society.The US, Georgia’s most important ally, has said charges against Mr Saakashvili are politically motivated.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Georgia issued an arrest warrant for former president Mikheil Saakashvili on charges that he abused his power and illegally privatised state assets during his 10 years in power. Mr Saakashvili, who is living in Europe, has said the new Georgian government is using the law to settle vendettas.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
JULY 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Tashkent reportedly sentenced to jail 13 associates of Gulnara Karimov, the eldest daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov.
The prison terms for the 13 people severely damage Ms Karimova and will virtually end any hopes she may have harboured of succeeding her father. She had been touted as a potential successor but her position has been steadily undermined over the past year by rivals.
Ms Karimova has not been seen in public for several months. Her London-based son has said that she is under house arrest in Tashkent.
Among those sentenced to jail for tax evasion and money laundering were Ms Karimova’s alleged boyfriend Rustam Madumarov and Gayane Avakyan. Ms Avakyan is an ethnic Armenian and one of Ms Karimova’s most loyal associates. She has been implicated in a major money laundering case involving Swedish-Finnish telecoms company TeliaSonera in 2007.
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(News report from Issue No. 193, published on July 30 2014)
JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Almaty detained the chief of the state anti-monopolies commission, Murat Ospanov, for allegedly taking a $200,000 bribe, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Kazakhstan appears to be pursuing an anti- corruption drive and has detained several high-ranking officials.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JULY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – More reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of mass arrests in the Uzbek security services.
Last month, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that police detained roughly 100 people in Ukraine’s customs service on various accounts of corruption now, it appears, 40 members of the security services have been arrested.
Sources told RFE/RL that Colonel Javdat Sharifhojaev, a powerful member of the security services, was among those arrested.
It’s unclear if the latest arrests are linked to the very public row between the daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov and the security services or, instead, if these various detentions are the result of a genuine anti-corruption drive that it appears to have launched.
It could also be a turf war between the various, and powerful, departments of the security services.
Uzmetronom.com, a website linked to the Uzbek authorities, said that the Uzbek authorities had decided to increase penalties against officials for taking bribes.
The Uzbek authorities, apparently, declined to confirm the detention of the various officials.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JULY 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – In an effort to dampen souring corruption rates, Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev signed into law a bill that will force municipal governments to post in public their plans about various contraction projects. Construction is a major source of corruption in Kyrgyzstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 192, published on July 9 2014)
JUNE 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Almaty sentenced Bagdad Maykeev, a former General and Kazakh deputy defence minister, to six years in jail for taking bribes worth about $500,000 in a case that highlights the endemic levels of corruption at the highest levels in Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)
JUNE 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbek police have arrested 100 people working at the state customs committee on corruption charges, media reported. The mass arrests are likely to be linked with a grab for power in Uzbekistan rather than a genuine anti- corruption drive.
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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)
JUNE 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around 100 people demonstrated in front of the Jalal-Abad regional administration headquarters in the town of Aksy in south Kyrgyzstan to demand the resignation of the governor, who they accuse of corruption. Aksy is significant as a demonstration there in 2005 triggered a revolution.
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(News report from Issue No. 190, published on June 25 2014)
JUNE 15 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan will waive corporation and land tax for 10 years for foreign investors outside its energy industry, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.The initiative is part of a drive to try and attract investors back to Kazakhstan. Rampant corruption and a flatlining economy have deterred some investors.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
