Radio Azattyk, Kloop website and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has been awarded the 2019 Tom Renner Award from U.S.-based Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) for a series of stories exposing massive outflows of cash from Kyrgyzstan. Azattyk reports.

The award was presented for a series of joint investigations into schemes for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars through Kyrgyzstan, as well as corruption fraud at the customs, due to which the country’s budget is losing significant revenues.

Recall, after publication of the journalistic investigation about smuggling schemes and withdrawal of $ 700 millions, the deputy of the Parliament Iskender Matraimov, his wife Minovar Dzhumaeva, former deputy head of the Customs Service Raimbek Matraimov, his wife Uulkan Turgunova, and the Ismail Matraimov’s Fund Public Foundation filed a lawsuit against several media. The amount of claims for the protection of honor and dignity amounted to: 22.5 million soms against Azattyk, 10 million against a journalist Ali Toktakunov, 12.5 million against Kloop, 15 million against 24.kg news agency. Claims against 24.kg news agency have been withdrawn later.