Banking system frozen in Kyrgyzstan
Saturday, 10 April 2010
BISHKEK, April 9 (AFP): Kyrgyzstan's new leaders on Friday froze the national banking system, saying the Central Asian country's ousted president emptied the state coffers before fleeing, a senior interim official told AFP.
"The state coffers are almost empty. All the funds have been transferred. That is why we have frozen the banking system," said Edil Baisalov, the new chief of staff for interim leader Roza Otunbayeva.
"We are afraid that the banks under (President Kurmanbek) Bakiyev's control will take funds out of the country."
The coffers of the impoverished ex-Soviet state now hold only 986 million Kyrgyz soms (16 million euros, 22 million dollars), he said.
"We have uncovered irrefutable proof of a criminal organisation led by Bakiyev."
The provisional government is unable to access funds while the system is frozen, Baisalov said.
"It means that not only the people and businesses are affected but also the government," he said.
"We're very concerned that assets will be transferred out of the country," he added.
"On Thursday, a group of people linked to one of the country's banks was arrested at Manas international airport while attempting to take 4.5 million dollars out of the country.
"We believe they're linked to Bakiyev," he said.
Baisalov also insisted that Bakiyev had given the final nod for security forces to open fire on opposition protesters in the capital Bishkek this week, where at least 76 people died in riots.
Janysh Bakiyev, the son of the ousted Kyrgyz leader and former head of his presidential guard, gave the order but there was "no doubt" that Bakiyev knew of it, he said.
"We have irrefutable proof and detailed confessions from officials... that Janysh Bakiyev gave the order to shoot to kill and that President Bakiyev knew of it," Baisalov said.
Bakiyev told AFP on Friday that he had no intention of resigning and blamed the country's new self-proclaimed leadership for causing the deaths of protesters this week.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with AFP in the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalalabad, Bakiyev starkly denied giving any order to security forces to open fire on protesters.
"The state coffers are almost empty. All the funds have been transferred. That is why we have frozen the banking system," said Edil Baisalov, the new chief of staff for interim leader Roza Otunbayeva.
"We are afraid that the banks under (President Kurmanbek) Bakiyev's control will take funds out of the country."
The coffers of the impoverished ex-Soviet state now hold only 986 million Kyrgyz soms (16 million euros, 22 million dollars), he said.
"We have uncovered irrefutable proof of a criminal organisation led by Bakiyev."
The provisional government is unable to access funds while the system is frozen, Baisalov said.
"It means that not only the people and businesses are affected but also the government," he said.
"We're very concerned that assets will be transferred out of the country," he added.
"On Thursday, a group of people linked to one of the country's banks was arrested at Manas international airport while attempting to take 4.5 million dollars out of the country.
"We believe they're linked to Bakiyev," he said.
Baisalov also insisted that Bakiyev had given the final nod for security forces to open fire on opposition protesters in the capital Bishkek this week, where at least 76 people died in riots.
Janysh Bakiyev, the son of the ousted Kyrgyz leader and former head of his presidential guard, gave the order but there was "no doubt" that Bakiyev knew of it, he said.
"We have irrefutable proof and detailed confessions from officials... that Janysh Bakiyev gave the order to shoot to kill and that President Bakiyev knew of it," Baisalov said.
Bakiyev told AFP on Friday that he had no intention of resigning and blamed the country's new self-proclaimed leadership for causing the deaths of protesters this week.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with AFP in the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalalabad, Bakiyev starkly denied giving any order to security forces to open fire on protesters.