When the remains of Medet Sadyrkulov and two associates were found in a burned out car in March 2009, authorities proclaimed the cause of death as a traffic accident.
But Sadyrkulov’s family, unsatisfied with the finding, pushed for an investigation into the cause of death, which was renewed after the April 2010 ouster of Bakiev.
After a preliminary investigation, authorities have determined that the former chief of staff and two others were killed in the home of another former presidential chief of staff, Kurmanbek Temirbaev, after which their bodies were driven to the highway where their car was set ablaze.
The former president’s brother Janysh Bakiev, head of the state security forces at the time, ordered the murder, Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Melis Turganbaev told RFE/RL.
At a press conference announcing the results of the preliminary investigation, Interior Minister Zarylbek Rysaliev said 17 suspects have been detained.
