Ex-MP Kongantiev fined 500,000 som for abuse of office in Kyrgyzstan

Former member of the Kyrgyz parliament, Kuvanichbek Kongantiev, has been fined 500,000 som (approximately $5,700 USD) after being found guilty of abusing his official position. The Leninsky District Court delivered the verdict on July 15, convicting Kongantiev on five separate counts of the offense.

The legal proceedings followed Kongantiev's resignation from the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan's parliament, in March. His departure came just one day after a video surfaced on social media alleging that he had registered real estate properties under the names of his relatives while serving as a deputy of the Bishkek City Council.

Following his resignation, the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) detained Kongantiev. Investigators accused him of orchestrating illegal schemes involving land plots, utilizing affiliated individuals and legal entities to facilitate the transactions. Initially, the court ordered Kongantiev's detention in a GKNB pre-trial detention center. However, his measure of restraint was later changed to house arrest in June.