The Matraimov Kingdom

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Published: October 2nd, 2020

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Svetlana Tiourina

At a recent performance on Kyrgyzstan’s independence day, an improvisational poet known as an akyn memorably called out the country’s endemic corruption in front of its president, top officials, and foreign guests.

To the strains of a traditional Kyrgyz lute, the akyn denounced “big ones who stealthily fill their pockets,” “electors who have grabbed the ballot boxes and steal votes,” and the country’s customs service, where “money is taken out in buckets.”

The last allusion would not have been lost on his audience. For years, as revealed in a previous series of investigations, deputy customs chief Raimbek Matraimov enabled — and profited from — a smuggling empire run by a secretive Uighur family.

Matraimov is no longer in the customs service. But over the years, he and his brothers, who still hold important public functions, have amassed vast riches — and converted them into influence.

This new investigative series by OCCRP, Kloop, RFE/RL’s Radio Azattyk, and Bellingcat shows how.

From living an extravagant lifestyle on modest declared salaries, to secretly taking control of private customs facilities and trade routes, to pouring wealth into a crucial election campaign, the Matraimovs embody many of the brave poet’s warnings about the dangers of corruption in the heart of Central Asia.

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01

Stories

How to Build a Customs Empire

How to Build a Customs Empire

For years, two powerful Central Asian families colluded to build a trading empire built on smuggling. Now, through...

The Kolbayev Connection

The Kolbayev Connection

A private resort village on the shores of Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk Kul is among the clues that connect former...

02

Reporters' Notebook

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Interactive

04

News

When the State Went Missing

When the State Went Missing

Here’s how Kyrgyz citizens banded together during a week of political chaos to take care of each other when their...

05

Previous Matraimov Investigations

The 700-Million-Dollar Man

The 700-Million-Dollar Man

Over the span of five years, one man funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars out of Central Asia. What he knew...

A Promise Cut Short

A Promise Cut Short

Despite receiving a death threat, the operator of a massive Kyrgyz money-laundering scheme shared hundreds of...

The Dubai Partnership

The Dubai Partnership

The wife of Raimbek Matraimov, a powerful former Kyrgyz customs chief, has a joint investment in Dubai with a...

Project Credits

This project is a collaboration between OCCRP, Kloop, RFE/RL’s Radio Azattyk, and Bellingcat.

Reporting: Many local reporters contributed to these stories. They cannot be named to protect their safety.

Editing: Miranda Patrucic, Ilya Lozovsky, Julia Wallace

Writing: Ilya Lozovsky

Graphics: Edin Pasovic, Kloop

Illustrations: Svetlana Tiourina