The uncompromising fight against organised crime groups in Kyrgyzstan declared by the head of GKNB, Kamchybek Tashiev, is taking on a huge scale. After Kamchybek Kolbaev, the most notorious leader of the underworld, was killed during the police operation to arrest him, other crime bosses, one by one, began to declare in public that they deny their previous commitment to theft and promise to obey the law from now on.
Moreover, GKNB published preliminary data on finding Kolbaev’s assets for 1 billion dollars, and it took them a week to detain entrepreneurs who had ties with the underworld, one way or another, after another warning of entrepreneurs.
Was the purpose of yet another high-profile campaign in the country to completely destroy the crime as authorities claimed or was it just a redistribution of influence? The previously announced national campaign to fight corruption also shows deep connection between the underworld and the authority in Kyrgyzstan.
Liquidation of the crime boss
Neither sounds of gunfire in the afternoon of October 4 in the centre of Bishkek, nor official information about the special operation held by GKNB to arrest the boss of the underworld of Kyrgyzstan, Kamchy Kolbaev, captured public interest at first. In the last three years, Kolbaev, known in the underworld as Kolya Kyrgyz, was arrested three times, but every time he was released safely.
In April 2023, his lawyer said that no criminal cases were pending against his client. The last charge of organising a transnational organised crime group in Kazakhstan was dismissed against Kolbaev due to expired limitation period.
That is why the official information spread by GKNB on October 4 seemed unbelievable to many people – Kolbaev offered armed resistance and special forces soldiers shot him on the spot. Reliable photos of the killed crime boss appeared on the internet immediately.
The number of attendees who came to his funeral in his hometown of Cholpon-Ata shows the influence of the only in Kyrgyzstan so-called ‘thief in law’, who was crowned in 2008 in Moscow. Their number, according to various data, was up to five thousand people.
The rapidly developing events taking place in the society of Kyrgyzstan that is used to disturbances have caused serious concerns because the people have already been used to and even accepted the presence and influence of the crime boss on the various spheres of life, from politics to business. The authority seemed to either be unable to do something about organised crime with its strict hierarchy and its leaders, or have its interest and the existing parallel world is rather profitable than undesirable. It was clearly confirmed by the scandal in Kochkor district of Naryn region in 2022, when members of the organised crime group of Kolbaev, who extorted money from entrepreneurs, were protected by officers of the local police department.
After Kolbaev was killed in Bishkek, the police switched to enhanced security regime fearing the destabilising criminal situation. However, while the society was waiting for further events with anxiety and speculating about the successor to Kolbaev, known crime bosses in the country, one after another, recorded videos where they renounced their criminal ways and promised to respect the law. According to ex-chief of maximum-security penal colony OP 36/19 Toktogul Kakchekeyev, the actions taken by crime bosses after the killing of the most notorious boss showed that they faced the real threat of physical destruction.
“Their arrogance has gone immediately once they have faced the threat of real death,” Kakchekeyev said. “I have personally conducted such operations on detention, when any subject that poses a threat is taken as a target and is shot to kill. The task now is to tackle organised crime across the republic. And they perceive this information very well, especially after Kolbaev was killed. They all want to live.”
However, their promises should not be trusted, said Kakchekeyev. According to him, it was “a sham for the purpose of survival and preservation of strength.”
Assets worth 1 billion dollars – it’s just the beginning
Amid repenting criminals, GKNB published preliminary data on the assets seized from the ex-crime boss. Their estimated value is 1 billion dollars.
According to the agency, it was “just the beginning of searching for criminal assets of Kolbaev.” According to their statements, they will continue searching for them in Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Türkiye, Dubai and Japan, where the crime boss had businesses. A portion of the detected property was reportedly illegally withdrawn from state ownership and seized from bona fide entrepreneurs. GKNB asks the victims to refer to the agency for the return of their property.
“Financial interests of Kamchy Asanbek (Kamchy Kolbaev) in the criminal activity deserve special attention. They allowed him to establish many business entities under the façade of legitimate business in addition to creation of the clear hierarchy in the criminal group. The criminal status of Kamchy Asanbek and unlimited financial resources let him to affect political processes in the country at different times, which created serious threats to the national security and unacceptable in the modern law-governed state,” GKNB said.
According to the agency, particular high-ranking officials and politicians “fearing criminal opportunities of the group” turned out to be under the influence of Kolbaev, and others sought friendship and support of the crime boss.
According to Professor Erica Marat of the National Defence University of Washington, latest events show the redistribution of spheres of influence and resources in Kyrgyzstan among high-ranking officials and high-ranking politicians.
According to political analyst Medet Tyulegenov, what happened was the dynamic development of ties between state structures and the underworld and the redistribution of assets, rather than the total destruction of crime.
“When it comes to mutual relations, it is clear that many things are based on financial motivation,” the political analyst said. “Namely, who owns what, with whom, etc. It is obvious that it is the process of the so-called ‘kusturization’ of major facilities in Kyrgyzstan – some people get arrested and this sequence never stops. This situation gets easy when the crime boss is killed. I believe they have a centralised system and when the boss is killed, it gets easier to deal with the rest.”
Mass denial of their principles by representatives of organised crime groups, according to Tyulegenov, is the reflection of the redistribution and the play of authorities to the gallery.
“Since we have the populist regime and they need to always show that something is done for the people, they need to pursue their agenda,” Tyulegenov said. “I think this is why their regime still exists. Something new always happens every month, either in the border, or with businessmen, the underworld. They try to keep to this course because they know it’s like riding a bike, you should never stop pedalling.”
There was information about calling Raiymbek Matraimov, known as Raiym Million in Kyrgyzstan, for interrogation to GKNB right after the news about the killing of Kolbaev. He was the subject of the sensational journalistic investigation of large-scale embezzlement at customs. However, GKNB did not confirm information about the interrogation.
However, the current government should have the sufficient power to take a step that has never been taken by the predecessors of the current government, according to political analysts.