Prosecutors in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek say a business tycoon built a casino complex on a site where he had promised to build a sports center.
The Prosecutor General’s office said it discovered the casino, as well as restaurants and a hotel, during an inspection of the site in the Kyrgyz capital.
The site in question is municipal property, the Kyrgyz media outlet Aki Press reported.
The Bishkek Prosecutor’s Office said a recent audit had revealed that the land was illegally handed over to a private entrepreneur in 2000.
Kyrgyz Casino: Built on Municipal Land
Official documents show the land had been set aside for the construction of a sports and fitness complex, which the entrepreneur agreed to build.
Prosecutors have accused the unnamed developer of using municipal land without permits or paying lease fees.
They have also accused the same person of illegally operating casino, dining, and hotel facilities.
“The city’s budget has suffered particularly large-scale damages,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement. “We estimate these to be worth 42 million som (over $480,000).”
Bribery Charges
In an apparently related development, the Bishkek City Prosecutor’s Office said last week it had “conducted an investigation into complaints received during meetings with city residents.”
The office said the investigation revealed that a male employee of Bishkek’s Sverdlovsk District Municipal Administration “abused his official position to make financial gains.”
The accused, whose initials are KYM, reportedly “systematically took payments” from a private entrepreneur.
In exchange, KYM ensured officials turned a blind eye to the entrepreneur’s activities on the plot, said prosecutors.
Officials think KYM took a total of 195,000 som (over $2,200) in bribes.
Prosecutors say they have charged KYM with abuse of office and bribery. The investigation is ongoing, the office said.
The office vowed to “identify all the [public officials] involved” and “bring everyone responsible to justice.”
Casino Law Success
Under Kyrgyzstan law, only foreign passport holders are allowed to visit casinos.
In 2022, the government made the controversial decision to let developers build foreign-only casinos.
President Sadyr Japarov said last month that the decision had paid off. He said it had enriched the state budget by millions of dollars in revenue.
Japarov denied claims that the presence of the casinos had driven up gambling addiction rates in the country.
“When [we] passed the law, there were concerns that Kyrgyz citizens would start visiting casinos, which would lead to ruined lives,” Japarov said. “However, [since the first casinos opened], we have not seen a single instance of a Kyrgyz citizen visiting a casino.”
