In May 2024, the State National Security Committee reported the arrest of the director of the Jalal-Abad Art School-Internat, Ch.Ch.A., for systematic extortion from her subordinates. On May 24, she was caught red-handed while receiving a bribe of 20,000 soms. It was established that since her appointment in February 2023, the director had been demanding her employees to transfer part of their salaries to her every month under various pretexts.
It should be noted that the average salary of teachers at this school is about 20,000 soms, of which they were obliged to give 5,000 soms to Ch.Ch.A.
It was also revealed that previously, Ch.A.A. had forced the school cook to give her 17,000 soms under the threat of dismissal for alleged violations.
According to the case materials published in the State Register of Judicial Acts, Ch.A. was convicted of extortion of a bribe, which implies the demand for monetary funds by an official for the performance or non-performance of actions that violate legal rights. This occurred under the following circumstances.
Investigative authorities established that, having been appointed as the director of the Jalal-Abad Art School-Internat by the order of the president of the National Academy of Arts of Kyrgyzstan, T.S., on February 15, 2023, she learned about the illegality of the appointment of the laboratory assistant Z.T.D. and, using her official position, began demanding from her a salary of 20,000 soms starting from March 2023, despite the latter's disagreement.
Ch.Ch. justified her actions by claiming that Z.D. was appointed illegally and, therefore, her work was also illegal. She argued that this money would be used for the needs of the school and promised in return not to dismiss Z.D. As a result, on May 24, 2023, Ch.Ch. was detained while receiving a bribe.
According to the verdict of the Jalal-Abad City Court dated August 28, 2024, Ch.Ch.A. was found guilty of extortion of a bribe as provided for in part 1 of Article 343 of the Criminal Code, and was fined 1 million soms. The preventive measure in the form of a subscription not to leave was revoked.
The verdict of the Jalal-Abad Regional Court dated May 15, 2025, upheld the decision of the city court. The appeal filed by the lawyer was dismissed.
In the cassation appeal, the convicted person and her defender demanded the annulment of the verdicts and acquittal for lack of corpus delicti.
However, on August 18, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the verdicts and dismissed the cassation appeal. This decision is final and not subject to appeal.
