TURKMENISTAN: SUPREME AUDIT CHAMBER CHAIRMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001297 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SUPREME AUDIT CHAMBER CHAIRMAN ORCHESTRATES FIRING OF MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT REF: ASHGABAT 1242 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Sylvia Reed Curran for reasons 1. 4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Longtime, well-connected Embassy source, EU-Tacis Advisor in Turkmenistan Michael Wilson (please protect),said at a meeting on September 29 that Supreme Audit Chamber Chairman Tuvakmammet Jepbarov was responsible for the dismissal of Minister of Economy and Development Gurbanmyrat Gurbanmyradov on September 12. Wilson said Jepbarov had kompromat (incriminating material) on Gurbanmyradov and passed it on to someone who had the authority to dismiss the minister. Wilson said that Jepbarov and former Minister Gurbanmyradov (reftel) were rivals when Jepbarov was First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, and Gurbanmyradov was Deputy Minister. According to Wilson, Jepbarov is ambitious and wants to get promoted quickly and "started to audit people instead of organizations" in his role as chairman of the Supreme Audit Chamber as a way of getting rid of his competition. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Digging up kompromat on rivals and others perceived as threats is a time-honored tradition in post-Soviet political circles. In all likelihood, Jepbarov showed his evidence to President Berdimuhamedov, because it is highly unlikely that anyone else has the authority to fire a minister. END COMMENT. CURRAN