A video recently surfaced in the Kyrgyz segment of the internet, in which an associate of Sabyr Japarov is heard saying that “the cargo (gold bars) has been delivered and is ready for shipment.”

The footage shows each crate labeled with a sheet containing shipment details, including the date, number of gold bars, and the departure and arrival airport codes: IKU and LCA.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigns unique three-letter codes to classify airports. The IKU code stands for Issyk-Kul International Airport (Kyrgyzstan), while LCA refers to Larnaca International Airport (Cyprus). The shipment of gold bars from Issyk-Kul Airport to Cyprus took place on July 2, 2023.

Sabyr Japarov is the brother of Kyrgyzstan’s current president, Sadyr Japarov. Recently, President Japarov gave an interview to the national news agency Kabar, where he addressed the controversy surrounding the leaked video. This raises an obvious question—if the video was allegedly fabricated to discredit the president, as he claims, why did he feel the need to defend himself?

However, according to informed sources, the systematic smuggling of undeclared gold bars from Kyrgyzstan to third countries continues to this day.

Earlier, a photograph circulated online showing Sabyr Japarov holding gold bars in his hands.

According to official figures from the Kyrgyz government, the country’s foreign trade turnover in 2023 amounted to $16 billion. The National Statistical Committee reported that trade between Kyrgyzstan and China for the year stood at $5.4 billion. However, Chinese customs data tells a different story—trade between the two countries in the same period actually amounted to $19.8 billion.

The question is, of course, rhetorical, but it still demands an answer: where did the missing $14.4 billion worth of imported goods from China disappear?

According to Kaktus.media, over the past 20 years, Kyrgyzstan has imported more than $91.5 billion worth of unaccounted-for goods from China.