Tengiz Bolturuk says President’s brother Sabyr Japarov transferred $30,000 to him; recounts visits to brother’s ‘office’

Tengiz Bolturuk, a former external manager of the Kumtor gold project, said in a live interview with journalists that Sabyr Japarov, the brother of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, transferred $30,000 to him "в счет будущих расходов" — to cover future expenses — while Bolturuk was serving on the board of Centerra Gold Inc. and later as the state-appointed external manager of Kumtor. Bolturuk’s account provides a detailed personal account of how he entered and navigated a sensitive role at one of Kyrgyzstan’s most politically charged economic assets.

According to Bolturuk, his involvement with Kumtor began after October 2020, when Sadyr Japarov, then acting prime minister, met him following Bolturuk’s release from prison and offered him a role in cooperation over the project. He said he agreed on terms that reflected "канадскими" — Canadian — professional rates: «Я сказал: “Я профессиональный инженер, поэтому мои расценки будут канадскими, если вы на это согласны, я помогу”. На это согласились, и первого декабря я уже вошел в совет директоров», Bolturuk recounted. He joined the Centerra Gold board on December 1, 2020.

Bolturuk said he received payment commensurate with those rates, but that the transfer came from Sabyr Japarov, who holds no official state position. «Сабыр перевел мне 30 тысяч долларов в счет будущих расходов», Bolturuk stated. He emphasized that he had requested assistance from Sadyr Japarov and did not ask Sabyr directly for the funds: «Я не ожидал этого. Я ведь не у Сабыра просил, я у Садыра просил, а Сабыр просто взял и перевёл. Два брата [… ] Я их внутреннюю кухню не знал, с какого счета и что они оплачивали, и вопросов у меня не было», he said, adding that he did not inquire about the source account or the arrangement between the brothers.

Bolturuk left Centerra’s board on May 17, 2021, and was subsequently appointed by President Sadyr Japarov as the external manager of Kumtor, a role central to the state’s control over the lucrative gold mine. Even after the appointment, Bolturuk said his communications with Sabyr Japarov continued. He told journalists that Sabyr contacted him about projects including the launch of a railway and the opening of a fuel depot, and that he had visited what he described as Sabyr’s "office" several times to discuss deposits and other matters: «Я был в том офисе раз пять-шесть по разным делам по вопросу месторождений… В том самом [офисе] Сабыра… он разговаривал со мной от своего имени, от своего собственного частного имени, я не знаю, стоит ли за ним какая-то фирма, я об этом даже не спрашивал».

Bolturuk’s descriptions echo earlier allegations by political blogger and former deputy head of the Agency for Attracting and Protecting Investments, Syrgak Kenjebaev, who released video remarks earlier in August accusing Sabyr Japarov of controlling Kyrgyz customs and resolving official matters from an office in a Bishkek mansion. The presidential administration publicly pushed back: Dairbek Orunbekov, head of information policy at the presidential administration, called Kenjebaev a "манипулятором", and President Japarov suggested in an interview with Ali Toktakunov that Kenjebaev was a "мошенник".

Kenzhebaev’s own history underscores the broader stakes. A businessman who founded the customs terminal Юнилаб (Unilab), he has said that his project was undermined by artificially created obstacles and ultimately taken over by people linked to then-deputy head of customs Raimbek Matraimov — a takeover a business partner described as a "рейдерский захват." Kenzhebaev has also accused authorities aligned with Matraimov’s circle of abducting him from Almaty and detaining him in Kyrgyzstan; his ex-wife, former MP Shirin Aitmatova, launched an anti-corruption campaign against Matraimov, but later curtailed public activity citing safety concerns. Kenzhebaev was freed following the October 2020 protests that saw Sadyr Japarov released, and the president has publicly acknowledged having had communications with him about investment matters.

The accounts from Bolturuk and Kenjebaev have renewed scrutiny of the role that family networks and informal offices play in Kyrgyz politics and economic governance. Observers say such arrangements can blur lines of accountability around state assets like Kumtor and raise concerns about conflicts of interest. Bolturuk’s statements — including that funds for his work were routed through the president’s brother and that business and infrastructure projects were discussed outside official channels — contribute to ongoing debates in Kyrgyzstan about transparency, the influence of unelected actors, and the risks faced by critics who allege malpractice.

None of the individuals named in Bolturuk’s interview have been shown to have formally held roles that would legitimate direct control over state agencies, and the presidential administration has repeatedly maintained that Sadyr Japarov’s family "не занимается государственными делами". Bolturuk’s testimony, however, joins a series of public allegations that suggest the effective reach of informal power in Kyrgyz political and economic life, and raises questions for investigators and the public about how decisions affecting major national resources are being made.