AmCham News

Public call of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Kyrgyz Republic in connection with the detention of Eugene Krazhan, former CEO of “Sky Mobile” LLC (“Beeline” TM)

The American Chamber of Commerce in the Kyrgyz Republic expresses its concern about the detention of Eugene Krazhan, the former CEO of “Sky Mobile” LLC (“Beeline” TM). “Sky Mobile” LLC has been a member of the American Chamber of Commerce since 2009, and Eugene himself was a member of the AmCham’s Board of Directors and established a reputation as law-abiding and honest person.

At the beginning of the year, the first five decrees of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic were signed, including the Decree “On protection of property and support of entrepreneurs and investors”, which provides measures to strengthen the protection of property, entrepreneurs and investors, eliminating unjustified interference of the State in the economic activities of business entities.

Despite the provisions stated in the Decree, law-enforcing and supervisory authorities continue to exert pressure on business entities, and the situation with Eugene Krazhan is example of that.
The principle of presumption of innocence is one of the fundamental principles of justice; in accordance with Article 26 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic: “Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty as provided by law”.

According to Article 116 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the KR, “Detention as a preventive measure shall be applied by court decision when no other less severe restrictive measure of restraint can be applied …”. In the case of the former CEO of “Sky Mobile” LLC, we believe that the use of a measure of restraint, such as detention, was not necessary.

Such practice seriously undermines confidence of investors in Kyrgyzstan. These actions prevent the creation of a favorable investment climate and have a negative impact on the image of Kyrgyzstan as a State governed by the rule of law.
In this regard, we call for a less severe preventive measure and fair, impartial investigation of the above-mentioned case.

Regards,
Executive Director Aktilek Tungatarov