ASTANA,Kazakhstan-Aliya Nazarbayeva, the daughter of Kazakhstan’s first president, and Valentina Rogova, the wife of the former head of the Constitutional Council, are facing accusations of seizing a business worth about $170 million. The allegations were made by businessman Nurlan Bimurzin and his partner Medgat Kaliyev, who claim they lost their business to Nazarbayeva and Rogova in 2003.
Bimurzin and Kaliyev said they owned a business that included seven oil depots and 96 gas stations. They said they were pressured by the financial police and offered a deal by Nazarbayeva’s representative to give up 50% of their shares in exchange for relief. However, they said Nazarbayeva soon demanded full ownership and resorted to kidnapping Bimurzin’s father and threatening his family to get the rest of the shares. They also said Rogova was involved in protecting Nazarbayeva.
Bimurzin and Kaliyev said they kept silent for 20 years, fearing for their lives, but decided to file a statement to the General Prosecutor’s Office, asking for an investigation by the Asset Recovery Committee. They said their assets were fraudulently valued at only 19,000 tenge (around $42) in the documents and they never received any compensation.
Bimurzin and Kaliyev have requested a criminal case against Nazarbayeva and Rogova, seeking justice for their alleged crimes. Zharkyn Kurentayev, a public figure, and Ermurat Bapi, a deputy of the Mazhilis, have also supported their cause and called for a thorough probe by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
