Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has fired Interior Minister Isgender Mulikov amid allegations of abuse of power and corruption.
Berdymukhammedov fired Mulikov, who had served since May 2009, during a cabinet meeting on October 1.
The move came moments after Prosecutor-General Batyr Atdaev gave a speech that included allegations of wrongdoing by Mulikov.
Mulikov's driver was immediately arrested and some of the minister's business interests, which include several restaurants, cafes, and shops in Ashgabat, were confiscated.
Accusations of corruption at the ministry and among Turkmenistan's judicial authorities have long been seen as a problem, even within the country.
Berdymukhammedov, who has ruled the gas-rich former Soviet republic in Central Asia with an iron fist since the death of his autocratic predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, in December 2006, attempted to clean up the sector in 2017 when he dismissed the prosecutor-general.
Berdymukhammedov also formally reprimanded Mulikov at the time, citing corruption among police officials.
Mammetkhan Chakiyev, a deputy chair of the cabinet, was appointed as Mulikov's replacement.
