Ömürbek Babanov

Ömürbek Toktogulovich Babanov (Kyrgyz: Өмүрбек Токтогулович (Токтогул уулу) Бабанов, romanized: Ömürbek Toqtoghulovich (Toqtoghul uulu) Babanov, [œmyrˈbɛk tɔqtɔˈɣul uːˈlu bɑˈbɑnəf]; born 20 May 1970) is a Kyrgyz politician who served twice as the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan in 2011–12.

Ömürbek Babanov
Өмүрбек Бабанов
Babanov in 2011
14th Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan
In office
24 December 2011 – 1 September 2012
Acting: 1 December 2011 – 24 December 2011
PresidentAlmazbek Atambayev
Preceded byAlmazbek Atambayev
Succeeded byAaly Karashev (Acting)
In office
23 September 2011 – 14 November 2011
Acting
PresidentRoza Otunbayeva
Preceded byAlmazbek Atambayev
Succeeded byAlmazbek Atambayev
Personal details
Born (1970-05-20) 20 May 1970
Shymkent, Kazakh SSR, USSR
Political partyRespublika-Ata-Zhurt
Alma materRussian State Agricultural University

Political career

Before his appointment as Prime Minister, Babanov was Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Almazbek Atambayev. He was also acting Prime Minister from 23 September 2011 until 14 November 2011, as Prime Minister Atambayev was a candidate in the presidential election.[1] He again became acting Prime Minister on 1 December 2011 when Atambayev took office as President. He was confirmed by Parliament on 23 December 2011.[2] On 1 September 2012 Babanov resigned as Prime Minister.

Babanov participated in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election in 2017 as an independent. During a television debate, candidate Sooronbay Jeenbekov promised to imprison Babanov as part of a proposed fight against corruption.[3] He came second to Jeenbekov with 33% of the vote.

Family and wealth

With an estimated wealth of $1.5 billion, he is one of the richest people in Kyrgyzstan.[4]

Babanov is half-Turkish and half-Kyrgyz.[5] His mother was from the Turkish Meskhetian minority group in Georgia; she was forcefully deported from Batumi to Kyrgyzstan during World War II.[5] Babanov's wife is Kazakh. His family's ethnic background were used to smear him during the 2017 election.[3]

Controversy

On May 31, 2021, he was detained as part of an investigation involving the Kumtor Gold Mine.[6]

In 2023, Russian media reported that a firm linked to the Babanov family would build a warehouse for Russian companies, which would likely use it to circumvent sanctions.[7]Economics Director of 3PL operator NC Logistic Andrey Osipov connects the growing interest in warehouses in Central Asia with an increase in trade turnover with China, reorientation of imports, and expansion of marketplaces into the region. According to him, the flow of raw materials from China for the light and automotive industries now flows through Kyrgyzstan to Russia.[8]

Raider seizure of the bank Kyrgyzstan and NTS TV channel

Babanov was repeatedly accused of raider takeover using connections with the authorities as the main way of his enrichment.[9] He was accused of the raider takeover of the Kyrgyzstan bank[10] and the NTS television channel. Ex-owner of the bank Kalicha Umuralieva stated:[9]

"I will name the names of three people who were involved in raiding: Maxim Bakiyev (son of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev), Omurbek Babanov, Alexey Eliseev. We were offered to combine 60% of the shares and transfer them to Babanov. We refused, but then they began to threaten our children. Babanov simply liked our bank, so he decided to take it into his own hands. I had to give it away. There are no guarantees for domestic investors in our country. But the shares were taken from us not by organized crime groups, but by people who held high positions in the Cabinet of Ministers. Babanov was prime minister"[11]

The NTS TV channel was formed on the basis of the VOSST TV and Radio Broadcasting Company, which was owned by the famous businessman Valery Khon under president Askar Akayev. The entrepreneur stated that his oil base and television channel were taken away by raider by Babanov’s people with the support of the presidential family. After the March 2005 events, the TV channel was re-registered to other persons. Those around Babanov claimed that NTS was taken over by the Bakiyev family. And after the April events of 2010, he again returned to Babanov, who, as is known, was on good terms with the head of the “temporary government” Roza Otunbaeva.[12]Members of parliament stated that the TV channel should have been transferred to the state, and not fall into the hands of Babanov.[12][9]

References
  1. "Countries JK". rulers.org. Retrieved Aug 8, 2019.
  2. "Babanov Elected Kyrgyz PM". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved Aug 8, 2019.
  3. "Kyrgyzstan holds an election that was not a foregone conclusion". The Economist. 18 October 2017.
  4. (KCHR), Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights. "Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights (KCHR) - Who is part of the list of the richest people in Kyrgyzstan?". www.kchr.org. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  5. Kırgızistan'da cumhurbaşkanlığı seçim yarışında iki eski başbakan öne çıkıyor, Anadolu Agency, 2017, retrieved 20 December 2020, Babanov'un annesinin Kırgız olmamasını zaman zaman siyasi malzeme olarak kullanıyor. Babanov da durumu "Rahmetli annem, İkinci Dünya Savaşı döneminde Gürcistan'ın Batum şehrinden Kırgızistan'a sürüldü. Uzun tren yolculuğu sırasında anne ve babasını kaybeden küçük kıza bir Kırgız ailesi sahip çıktı. Ben Kırgız ailesinde büyüdüm. Annem Ahıska Türkü'dür babam da Kırgız" sözleriyle açıklıyor.
  6. "Kyrgyzstan: Former PM, ex-speaker of parliament detained in Kumtor investigation". Times of Central Asia. 1 June 2021.
  7. Шамшидинова, Медина (2023-08-09). "Фирма, связанная с семьёй Бабанова, построит склад для российских компаний — «Коммерсантъ»". KLOOP.KG - Новости Кыргызстана (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  8. КУДРЯВЦЕВА, Татьяна (2023-08-09). "Связанная с Омурбеком Бабановым компания построит в КР склад для бизнеса РФ -". 24.kg (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. "Рейдер вопит о рейдерстве! У Бабанова отняли то, что он сам когда-то отнял у других » Белый Парус - Независимая политическая газета". Белый Парус - Независимая политическая газета. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  10. "Депутатам пожаловались на захват Бабановым акций банка "Кыргызстан"". Вечерний Бишкек. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  11. "Депутатам пожаловались на захват Бабановым акций банка "Кыргызстан"". Вечерний Бишкек. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  12. yad (2023-06-24). "НТС: рейдерский захват или…? | Res Publica" (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-02.


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