Officials from the Supreme Court and from Turkmenistan’s National Security Ministry are carrying out an investigation, unprecedented for Lebap velayat, in an attempt to identify sources which leaked information about criminal charges initiated against dismissed prosecutors Baijan Baijanov and Toilymyrat Yegenov to overseas media outlets.
Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that several dozens of individuals are being summoned to the velayat’s office of the NSM to be questioned by law enforcement officers.
Among those who have been summoned for interrogation are executives of varying levels from the khyakimlik’s offices in Koytendag, Dovtetli and Kerki etraps, executives and accountants of the agricultural associations of Azatlyk, Magtymguly and Dashrabat as well as other individuals.
The NSM informants, who are threatened with “imprisonment” in case those held responsible are not found, have also been engaged in search efforts. It is known that the NSM officers have to report to higher-ranking authorities in Ashgabat on this case.
An official from the local khyakimlik’s office said that disclosing information to foreign opposition websites is treated as “disclosure of information deemed as state secrets”.
The investigating officers warn that they might initiate a lawsuit for the attempt to discredit the law enforcement authorities and for cooperation with overseas-based opposition. The transfer of information, as viewed by them, was to discredit the National Security Ministry and Turkmenistan’s court, the official emphasized.
It appears that representatives of the Supreme Court are involved in the investigation as the publications referred to information from criminal cases which had been handed over to the judicial authorities.
As of today no individuals have been detained.
Let us recall that on 7 August President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov dismissed prosecutors with the words “for poor performance of job-related responsibilities”.A week later “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” found out the reasons behind their dismissals.
The officials had registered state property in their names or the names of their relatives, engaged in tobacco smuggling and also sold Turkmen petrol to Uzbekistan.