Son of deposed Kyrgyzstan president facing abuse of power charges News
Son of deposed Kyrgyzstan president facing abuse of power charges

[JURIST] The Kyrgyzstan Prosecutor General’s Office announced Friday that the son of deposed president Kurmanbek Bakiyev [BBC profile], Maksim Bakiyev, faces charges of abuse of power and misuse of state credit. Maksim Bakiyev ran Kyrgyzstan's Central Agency for Development, Investment and Innovation and is accused of transferring [RFE/RL report] USD $35 million of a $300 million loan from Russia into private bank accounts. In separate criminal cases, Maksim Bakiyev, along with his brother Marat and paternal uncle Janysh are also facing three charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder [RFE/RL report].

Also Friday, Kyrgyzstan interim leader Roza Otunbayeva [Telegraph profile] announced that the government is working on a new constitution [Reuters report] that will provide for a parliamentary democracy for the country. Kurmanbek Bakiyev officially resigned [CSM report] from the presidency on Thursday after a week of political chaos following violent political protests [JURIST report].

Earlier this week, Otunbayeva said that Kurmanbek Bakiyev should stand trial [JURIST report] for the recent violence. The protests, prompted in part by a drastic increase in utility costs, led to at least 84 deaths [Reuters report] and many more injuries. On Tuesday, Kyrgyzstan's interim government announced that the country's highest court will be suspended [JURIST report] until a permanent government is established. Roza Otunbayeva launched the interim government [JURIST report] last week after violence forced Bakiyev to flee the capital. The protests came just one week after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] urged Kyrgyzstan to protect all forms of human rights [JURIST report], including "free speech and freedom of the media."

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