The press center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) announced the apprehension of five officials from the State Tax Service (STS) in Kyrgyzstan due to their implication in systemic corruption. These officials, working in the STS department at the Ministry of Finance in the Pervomaisky district of Bishkek, were arrested on charges of bribery.
The SCNS revealed that these officials were discovered to have been accepting bribes from entrepreneurs to expedite and resolve tax-related issues in an area not covered by surveillance cameras. The investigation uncovered multiple instances of these inspectors receiving illicit payments from businesses. The detained STS inspectors are currently being held in pre-trial detention at the Interior Ministry's Detention Center in Bishkek.
Efforts are being made to identify and bring to justice other STS officials involved in this corruption scheme.
