Baku extradited to Bishkek the former deputy head of the Customs Service of Kyrgyzstan, associated with the “authority” Kamchy Kolbaev, who was killed during detention

Employees of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan brought the former deputy head of the Customs Service, detained in Azerbaijan, to his homeland Raiymbek Matraimova. The extradition of an ex-official who was on the international wanted list is stated in press release security department.

According to the State Committee for National Security, the operation to detain Matraimov in Baku was carried out on March 25 with the assistance of the Azerbaijani special services. The next day, the suspect was sent to Kyrgyzstan under guard.

The former deputy chairman of the Customs Service of the Republic is a defendant in a case in which he is suspected of illegal imprisonment (Article 169 of the Criminal Code) and money laundering (Article 222 of the Criminal Code).

The intelligence service noted that, according to their information, the ex-official had a close relationship with the thief in law. Kamchi Kolbaev known as “Kolya-Kyrgyz”, liquidated during his arrest last fall. In addition, it is reported that Matraimov is suspected of creating a criminal group of customs workers and civil servants.

Raiymbek Matraimov’s brothers, Tilek, Ruslan and Islambek, were also brought to Bishkek. However, it is unknown what the relatives of the corrupt official are suspected of and whether a criminal case has been brought against them.

A few days ago, the State Committee for National Security reported that the fugitive Kyrgyzstani was in Baku. Moreover, the intelligence service believed that Matraimov was involved in planned assassination attempt on the top officials of the Central Asian republic. This became clear after the arrest of an organized crime group consisting of five Azerbaijani citizens.

At the end of January, it was reported that Matraimov was put on the wanted list. The authorities clarified that the ex-official is suspected of committing crimes under Article 169 (“Assisting in restricting the freedom of movement of a person by forcibly detaining him in the absence of signs of official crime”) of the Criminal Code of the Republic. Information spread in the media that the former customs officer took approximately $700 million out of the country.

Commenting on this information, Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev called the fugitive “a classic example of corruption.”

Raiymbek Matraimov worked in the Customs Service from 2015 to 2017. In 2020, he became a defendant in a criminal case. On February 11, 2021, he was convicted under the article “Corruption”. Thanks to the fact that the official made a deal with the investigation and paid 2 billion soms ($24 million) to the state, he managed to avoid imprisonment.

Later, the State Committee for National Security opened a case against him for laundering criminal proceeds, the reason for which was materials from investigative journalists. They, in particular, said that Matraimov had expensive property in Dubai, but the intelligence service was unable to confirm this information. […]