Turkmenistan: Pardons Granted After Corruption Scandal Delay

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has authorized amnesty for 1,671 convicts, including 29 foreigners.

The pardons, which are due to go into effect on May 18, are "a tribute to the original humanistic traditions of the nation and the constitution of Turkmenistan," the state news agency quoted Berdymukhamedov as saying on May 14.

The amnesty was originally due to take place on May 9, but was delayed after a pardons-for-cash scandal came to light. Police and Ministry of Interior employees reportedly took bribes as large as $100,000 from relatives seeking to buy the freedom of jailed family members.