Statement by President Japarov for "Kabar":
“Let me start from the very beginning. If I remember correctly, this happened at the end of 2021. Shirshov, through intermediaries, reached out to me with a proposal: ‘If I am not arrested, I would like to come to Kyrgyzstan. I have information about Maxim's assets, both abroad and within the country, and I am ready to help in their return.’ After Maxim fled, he left his closest associates without support, betraying them. One of them was Alexey Shirshov.
After verification by law enforcement agencies, it became known that Shirshov was not on the international wanted list.
“Let him come and share his knowledge,” it was said, and we agreed. He arrived, and we met him. However, we set one condition: “Times have changed. There will be no more attempts to deceive government agencies. If you do something wrong – you will answer to the law. You and Maxim have made a good profit. Now help return these funds to the state, share all the information you have.”
Shirshov began cooperating with the State National Security Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
photo “Kabar”
He provided information about who was involved in the raider seizures at "Avrora Plus," registering real estate under his relatives or acquaintances. As a result, the state managed to recover several cottages and apartments from this complex.
photo “Kabar”
Moreover, he reported that there is a villa "Chateau Castle" located in the southeast of France, which Maxim Bakiyev purchased from Berezovsky. Based on this information, the Ministry of Justice began legal proceedings in 2023. However, I want to emphasize that the process may take a long time. It is unclear how this issue will be resolved in the future. Everything depends on the will of the Almighty; we will live and see.
photo “Kabar”
He also confirmed that the company "Elkat" belonged to Maxim Bakiyev, and it has now completely become state-owned. This asset now belongs 100% to the state, and its value is estimated at about 6 billion soms.
As for his role in the negotiations in Moscow, regarding the Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations project, we found ourselves owing "RusHydro" 37 million dollars due to unresolved issues, and considering interest, the total debt currently exceeds 51 million dollars. The interest on this debt continues to grow.
The International Court confirmed that “such interest will be charged.” Therefore, I sent a delegation to Moscow led by Daniyar Amangeldiev to discuss possible ways to resolve this debt.
He called Daniyar Amangeldiev from Moscow and expressed his willingness to participate in the negotiations, providing useful information for Kyrgyzstan regarding "RusHydro." Given his past work with them, he has valuable information. Time will tell how valuable it turns out to be.
The main thing is that we will not allow Shirshov to "saddle" any ministry and manage it again. If his information benefits the state – we will use it; if not – we will tell him to “behave calmly.”
In short, we will not allow any encroachment on state finances. There is no need to pay attention to those who are trying to "manipulate" the situation around Shirshov.
The Ministry of Energy will fully repay the accumulated debt of 137 billion soms this year and will start making a profit from next year. In this system, theft has been completely stopped. Therefore, we are closing the debt that has accumulated over 30 years in just 5 years. If the embezzlement had continued, the debt would only have increased.
If any employee is caught stealing, there will be no leniency. This applies not only to the Ministry of Energy but to all state institutions and officials.”
Reference:
Earlier, on February 16, the Russian Ministry of Energy reported on negotiations between Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Daniyar Amangeldiev. According to the Russian side, the topic of the negotiations was “the resolution of cooperation issues regarding the Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations project.” According to photographs from the meeting, Shirshov also participated in the negotiations on the Kyrgyz side.
Alexey Shirshov
In the early 2000s, Shirshov held positions as financial director at OJSC "Severelektro" and "Electric Stations," and in 2008 he was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of TNK "Dastan," where he worked until April 2010.
Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations
Kyrgyzstan and Russia signed an agreement at the government level in 2012 for the construction and operation of the Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations. The cost of constructing 4 hydropower stations, according to the project documentation, was $727 million. Subsequently, on December 24, 2015, then-President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev stated that Russia would not be able to implement the project for the construction of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1 and the Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations. A month later, on January 20, 2016, the deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh voted to denounce the agreements between the government of Kyrgyzstan and the government of the Russian Federation regarding the construction and operation of the Upper Naryn Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Stations and the construction and operation of the Kambar-Ata HPP-1.
