After pleading guilty to charges of hooliganism and illegal border crossing, former Kyrgyzstan Customs Service (GTS) Deputy Chairman Raimbek Matraimov received a $1,150 fine, settling two of a number of charges he faced after OCCRP and its partners revealed his corrupt scheme in 2019.Â
“The court issued a verdict based on the indictment, which included the two charges [illegal border crossing and hooliganism],” court spokesperson Temir Ilyasov told OCCRP on Tuesday.
These charges add to a string of allegations against Matraimov since a 2019 OCCRP investigation exposed his role in siphoning $700 million abroad using political connections. The revelations led to mass protests in Kyrgyzstan, demanding his arrest.
In October 2020, Matraimov was briefly detained on suspicion of embezzling public funds but was released in November after paying $200 million in damages. Two months later, he and his wife were sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act.Â
He was in 2021 convicted of corruption and admitted to orchestrating extensive schemes, paying $24.5 million to the state budget and receiving a $3,000 fine in 2021.
The Kyrgyz authorities then placed Matraimov on a wanted list in January 2024 for other crimes.Â
In March, officials located him in Azerbaijan and requested his arrest and extradition. Matraimov, along with his three brothers, was detained and handed over to Kyrgyzstan, where he faced fresh charges, including money laundering and unlawful deprivation of liberty—accusations yet to be fully clarified.
Two of his brothers were convicted of illegal banking activities, receiving fines, while one remains under house arrest awaiting trial.
