BISHKEK -- Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan say allegations against the president and other senior figures laid out in a book by an opposition politician who is currently abroad will be "thoroughly investigated."
The prosecutor-general's office said on January 8 that if the allegations turn out to be true, those he accuses will be prosecuted, but if they turn out to be false, those making false accusations will be held responsible.
The book by former Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) party lawmaker Sadyr Japarov, 10 Years in Politics, appeared recently on the Internet and has not been printed in the Central Asian nation.
Japarov, who is currently in Poland, alleges in the book that President Almazbek Atambaev, former President Roza Otunbaeva, and other officials were involved in what he claims was a secret transfer of substantial amounts of gold to Turkey in 2011.