Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister, Karim Masimov, announced on Friday that Qozy-Korpesh Karibozov (pictured here), the former head of the Customs Service, has been relieved of his duties after allegations arose that he was allowing smugglers to traffic between 100 and 200 trucks-worth of goods across Kazakh borders daily.
Along with Mr. Karibozov, more than 100 members of a criminal organization were also arrested on May 3rd (Tuesday) for smuggling the goods between Kazakhstan and China. The financial police have also arrested the deputy head of the National Security Comittee’s department in Aqmola Oblast.
Prime Minister Masimov has announced via Twitter that the former Interior Minister, Serik Baimaghanbetov, would replace Mr. Karibozov.
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