Ex-President of Mongolia Freed
A Mongolian court on Monday released from detention the country’s former president, his lawyer said, just over a month after he was jailed on accusations of corruption in a case that sparked international concern about the rule of law in the country.
An Ulan Bator district court on Monday said Enkhbayar Nambar could be released following personal guarantees by a handful of people, including family members, who signed pledges that he will respond to future requests by legal authorities, said his lawyer, O. Baahsanhuu.
The lawyer said no formal charges have been filed and that the antigraft agency that ordered the initial detention offered no details of its corruption allegations in court Monday. Mongolian government authorities couldn’t be reached for comment.
After Mr. Enkhbayar’s efforts to protest his detention with a hunger strike compromised his health, he was transferred last week from prison to a heavily guarded hospital, where he remains. He was first jailed April 13 in a major police operation.
In a statement published over the past weekend, the nation’s antigraft agency made five allegations of misuse of state assets by Mr. Enkhbayar while he was in office. In the cases where amounts were cited, the figures added up to around $4 million.
Mr. Enkhbayar, his lawyer and some political analysts allege his arrest was an effort by sitting politicians to keep him out of an upcoming election.
Monday’s decision follows a number of efforts to resolve the crisis, including by Mongolia’s Supreme Court. Last week, U.S. officials said they questioned Mongolian authorities about the case in both Washington and Ulan Bator. Amnesty International over the weekend described his arrest as “arbitrary.”
Mr. Enkhbayar’s detention could complicate Mongolia’s political landscape in the run-up to parliamentary elections on June 28 that could influence international investment policy in the resource-rich nation. Mr. Enkhbayar, 53 years old and a longtime rival of the country’s current president, had split from the party of the current prime minister and had recently indicated plans to seek a seat in the 76-member legislature.
“It’s important to understand that he’s still being falsely charged,” said the former president’s son, Enkhbayar Batshugar, who said he visited his father after the late afternoon court decision Monday and found him “very weak.” Police that had been present in and around the hospital withdrew Monday, the son said.
Write to James T. Areddy at james.areddy@wsj.com
An Ulan Bator district court on Monday said Enkhbayar Nambar could be released following personal guarantees by a handful of people, including family members, who signed pledges that he will respond to future requests by legal authorities, said his lawyer, O. Baahsanhuu.
The lawyer said no formal charges have been filed and that the antigraft agency that ordered the initial detention offered no details of its corruption allegations in court Monday. Mongolian government authorities couldn’t be reached for comment.
After Mr. Enkhbayar’s efforts to protest his detention with a hunger strike compromised his health, he was transferred last week from prison to a heavily guarded hospital, where he remains. He was first jailed April 13 in a major police operation.
In a statement published over the past weekend, the nation’s antigraft agency made five allegations of misuse of state assets by Mr. Enkhbayar while he was in office. In the cases where amounts were cited, the figures added up to around $4 million.
Mr. Enkhbayar, his lawyer and some political analysts allege his arrest was an effort by sitting politicians to keep him out of an upcoming election.
Monday’s decision follows a number of efforts to resolve the crisis, including by Mongolia’s Supreme Court. Last week, U.S. officials said they questioned Mongolian authorities about the case in both Washington and Ulan Bator. Amnesty International over the weekend described his arrest as “arbitrary.”
Mr. Enkhbayar’s detention could complicate Mongolia’s political landscape in the run-up to parliamentary elections on June 28 that could influence international investment policy in the resource-rich nation. Mr. Enkhbayar, 53 years old and a longtime rival of the country’s current president, had split from the party of the current prime minister and had recently indicated plans to seek a seat in the 76-member legislature.
“It’s important to understand that he’s still being falsely charged,” said the former president’s son, Enkhbayar Batshugar, who said he visited his father after the late afternoon court decision Monday and found him “very weak.” Police that had been present in and around the hospital withdrew Monday, the son said.
Write to James T. Areddy at james.areddy@wsj.com
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