Ya. Sodbaatar, director of the State Special Inspection Agency denied in an interview that he has talked to former State Secretary of trade and Industry Ministry D. Surenkhor who has been extradited from Austria and is now in prison facing public money embezzlement charges.

According to Ya. Sodbaatar, the information published by the Udriin Sonin newspaper was wrong. The Director of the State Special Inspection Agency, though meeting D. Surenkhor in 1999 and working with him in the MPRP’s Democratic Socialist Youth Union, admitted he was never that close to him and he had not been in touch with him since he had suddenly disappeared. To the rumours that Surenkhor was hooked on gambling and owed him money as well as to Foreign Minister Zandanshatar, Sodbaatar responded he had heard D. Surenkhor gambled but firmly denies having any financial relations with Surenkhor.

Surenkhor was working as State Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade when in 2005 he ran away abroad after having he allegedly defrauded a large amount of money, around MNT 150 million from the public and individuals. He was hiding in Austria seeking an asylum under a fake name when he was arrested by the Mongolian police through Interpol.

He is being detained in Gants Khudag detention center near Ulaanbaatar and his case is now under investigation.