Head of Kyrgyz correctional facility arrested in bribery case

The head of correctional facility No. 19 in Kyrgyzstan's Chuy region has been detained on suspicion of extortion.

According to the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), the official, identified as Major of Internal Service Zh.M.Zh., born in 1982, allegedly began demanding money from the family of an inmate in February 2025. He is accused of systematically extorting funds in exchange for facilitating phone calls and visits.

Investigators found that the payments were made through a mobile application. A criminal case has been initiated under Article 343, Part 2, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, concerning the extortion of a bribe.

The suspect was apprehended by GKNB officers in cooperation with representatives of the State Penitentiary Service. He has been placed in a temporary detention facility within the GKNB pre-trial detention center. Investigators are currently working to determine the full extent of the funds received, identify any other potential involvement, and uncover additional episodes of bribery.