White Collar Hunt

By B.KHASH-ERDENE

Some are calling the recent arrests of Minister of Health and Sports G.Shiilegdamba and B.Batzaya, the former Head of Ulaanbaatar Railway and former State Secretary of the Ministry of Roads and Transportation, the beginning of a "white collar hunt".

G.Shiilegdamba was arrested on Wednesday by the Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC), reportedly during the taking of a bribe, and B.Batzaya was arrested by the Criminal Police Department on charges of financial crime on Tuesday.

Since his arrest, G.Shiilegdamba has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg through the IAAC, citing that the case will most likely take time to be resolved.

"At the time, I was keeping money lent by my close friend in my office for my private use. I did not commit any crime. I did not use my authority to gain that money and I have shown this to the IAAC inspectors. The IAAC has opened a criminal case and started investigating with the view that the money might have been obtained illegally," said G.Shiiligdamba in his resignation letter.

G.Shiilegdamba's political party, the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), said that the arrest was a political attack by rivals, including the President, intended to discredit the MPRP before the election.

B.Batzaya's arrest is being linked to the Tavan Tolgoi mine, Mongolia's largest coal reserve. Member of Parliament Kh.Battulga believes that the arrest was politically motivated, telling reporters, "I want to say that B.Batzaya was arrested through a political motive. B.Batzaya is a principled individual."

"I think that many issues will come about in relation to Tavan Tolgoi in the future. Many opposing sentiments have been expressed ever since the state policy on railway transportation was approved by Parliament in 2010. Therefore, there might be more organized means to unwind this decision," he added.

These recent arrests of high level state officials have triggered widespread speculation among the public. Some local papers believe that the arrests were related to the people who drafted the highly controversial Amnesty Law. Some believe that these are political maneuvers before the election, and others believe that this is the elimination of the corrupt.

Many political observers think that the arrests were indeed politically motivated and warned that it might lead to escalated dispute among political forces. There is no doubt that...