TEKEBAYEV RETURNS TO KYRGYZSTAN; SECURITY SERVICE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001310

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KG
SUBJECT: TEKEBAYEV RETURNS TO KYRGYZSTAN; SECURITY SERVICE
SCANDAL GROWING

REF: A. BISHKEK 1302

B. WARSAW 1939 (NOTAL)

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Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Opposition MP Omurbek Tekebayev returned
to Kyrgyzstan early September 12, after Polish authorities
dropped all charges against him for carrying narcotics, as he
appeared to have been framed (Ref B). At a morning rally in
front of Parliament, Tekebayev accused the Kyrgyz Government
of setting him up, and his supporters carried signs saying
"Down with Bakiyev." During a raucous session of Parliament,
National Security Service (SNB) Chairman Busurmankul
Tabaldiyev announced that he had offered his resignation, and
several opposition deputies rose to demand that President
Bakiyev appear before Parliament. In an apparent attempt to
stem the criticism, President Bakiyev fired his brother,
Janysh Bakiyev, from his post as First Deputy Chairman of the
SNB for his alleged role in the scandal, though he may
resurface in another position. Parliament's special
committee has begun its investigation of the incident, and
public debate over the scandal will certainly continue. END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) Former Speaker and current MP Omurbek Tekebayev
returned to Kyrgyzstan early September 12 following his
release September 8 by Polish authorities. Tekebayev had
been detained at the Warsaw airport September 5 when border
guards found a matryoshka doll filled with heroin in his
luggage (Ref A),but authorities later determined Tekebayev
had been the victim of a set-up. Surveillance video from the
Bishkek airport appeared to show Tekebayev's luggage
receiving special handling by security personnel prior to
being loaded on the plane; the video was shown on television
and over the Internet in Kyrgyzstan.


3. (U) Tekebayev was greeted in Bishkek by a morning rally of
several hundred supporters in front of Parliament. Tekebayev
thanked the crowd for its support and said that he had been
the victim of a government plot. Opposition MP Azimbek
Beknazarov blamed President Bakiyev for the scandal, saying
that the "wrong people" had been brought to power following
the March 24, 2005 revolution, and several in the crowd
carried signs saying "Down with Bakiyev."


4. (U) Following the rally, Parliament held a raucous session
in which several deputies demanded that President Bakiyev and
other members of the government appear to answer questions.
MP Bolotbek Sherniyazov claimed that Parliament's special
committee investigating the case had obtained phone records
linking the airport personnel who handled Tekebayev's luggage
with SNB Deputy Chairman Janysh Bakiyev, the brother of the
President. SNB Chairman Busurmankul Tabaldiyev faced the
deputies, telling them that he and Deputy Speaker Tairbek
Sarpashev had met with President Bakiyev the previous night
to discuss the incident and the accusations against Bakiyev's
brother. According to Tabaldiyev, President Bakiyev said
that if his brother was involved, he should bear
responsibility under the law. Bakiyev subsequently signed a
decree removing his brother from his post with the SNB "for
transfer to another position." Tabaldiyev, while claiming he
had no personal knowledge of the plot against Tekebayev,
announced that he had offered to resign.


5. (U) The MPs also criticized Prime Minister Felix Kulov,
who had actually recommended Janysh Bakiyev for the Deputy's
position in the SNB. Kulov defended himself, saying that he
had had a positive impression of Janysh at that time. The
President's personal representative in Parliament, Alymbay
Sultanov, told the members that the President had promised
justice in this case and would move forward with a special
commission to investigate the case consisting of

BISHKEK 00001310 002.2 OF 002


representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Procurator
General's office, the Presidency, and MPs. At least two MPs,
however, said they would not serve on the government
commission. State television plans to broadcast tape of the
day's session the evening of September 12.


6. (SBU) COMMENT: The parliamentary session will continue,
either in committee or full session, on September 13, and it
is not yet known whether President Bakiyev will appear.
Meanwhile, the Parliament's special commission will also move
forward, possibly interviewing airport security officials.
The public debate over the scandal is just beginning. END
COMMENT.
YOVANOVITCH