Will the politician repatriate those moneys through his Endowment?
Recently, even the laziest of our politicians showed burning inclination to deal with the repatriation of moneys stolen from Kazakhstan – those were, e.g., the Ak Zhol Party, which Party’s ex-member Amanzhol Ryskaliyev, together with his brother, ex-Governor of Atyrau Province, Bergey Ryskaliyev transferred a certain mass of cash to offshores. The Party leader Azat Peruashev, for some reasons, is silent about those two. That, also, was our famous Human Rights See Yevgeny Zhovtis, which individual still has not disclosed the information about how Kazakhgate repatriated cash was used in Kazakhstan (moneys known as a part of the Kazakhgate scandal, that were repatriated back to Kazakhstan for charity).
Gentle Grafters
Some runaway government officials and ex-bankers known as money-snatchers also offered their help to Kazakhstan.
Among them, is, for example, our ex-Premier, and present “in-absentia inmate” Akezhan Kazhegeldin, which individual evacuated himself from Kazakhstan with some USD 10 million, according to our ex-Prosecutor-General Yuri Khitrin.
After POSH lifestyle in Europe and America, the ex-Premier is now cherishing dreams to return to Kazakhstan to “share political experience”. He will make a motivational coach lecturing about “How to Snatch, but Look Like a Political Exile”. They say, that his real goal is to get himself some minimal pension from the government. We understand that – we all want to eat, and looks like Kazhegeldin is running low on cash!
Victor Khrapunov, the fugitive ex-Mayor of Almaty and a Co-in-Law to the fugitive thief and banker Mukhtar Ablyazov also promises to pinpoint the exact location of moneys stored outside of Kazakhstan. For those not aware – be advised that Khrapunov transported his properties from Kazakhstan in two air-vessels.
A French blogger Mukhtar Ablyazov is no exception either. Synchronously to Khrapunov, he promised to disclose some compromising information about our governmental officials’ bank accounts abroad. That was 10 years ago, and we did not hear anything about foreign accounts ever since. Neither did corruptors, journalists and security agencies. They say, that disappointed security officers immediately defollowed his profile in Facebook …
Now, our famous opposition leader, after ten years in political anabiosis, plans to sing that old song to a new tune. That new tune is the Elge Qaitary Public Endowment, Abilov created to bring stolen money back to Kazakhstan.
We will discuss the person a bit later…For the time being, let us discuss some statistics
How Much Did They Snatch, If Only KZT 9 Trillion Made It Back?
Factcheck.kz report that almost all members of the political and business elite community own assets abroad.
Global Financial Integrity report that USD 167.4 billion were taken outside in 2004-2013 only. GFI experts revealed falsification of commercial documents making it possible to transfer cash and whitewash it abroad, tax evasion, offshore concealment schemes etc. Another report from Global Financial Integrity indicates at the annual difference in the value of goods and commodities streams between Kazakhstan and its partners. The difference is USD 8.5 billion a year, or USD 85 billion in 2009-2018.
Tax Justice Network identified that the annual deflux of capitals from Kazakhstan was at USD 212 million. In 2021, according to Tax Justice Network, Kazakh corruptors deposited USD 45.7 billion in offshores. At the same time, the National Bank Kazakhstan shows that in 2010-2021, the gross deflux of direct investments to Cyprus, Netherlands, Caymans and Seychelles was approximately USD 4.5 billion a year or USD 53.4 billion for the whole period.
All above calculations do not include real estate, luxury goods, yachts etc. Also, they do not include moneys in other jurisdictions, because locations like UK, UAE, Hong-Kong and Singapore are not offshores.
Since early 2000-s, Kazakh Government announced several amnesties, in exchange to repatriation of funds from abroad. Thus, 7 to 9 trillion Tenges were legalized.
In the beginning of February 2022, the Government was given two months to design mechanisms for repatriation of cash and assets from abroad. The appropriate powers were given to Prosecution General, Anti-Corruption Service, Financial Monitoring Agency, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hail to the Thief…Pardon – to Google!
A famous Kazakh “furniture maker made political expert” Sanzhar Bokayev expressed opinion that Bulat Abilov with his concept of a “shadow cabinet of ministers” is attempting to create an alternative to the Prosecution General – Elge Qaitary. The latter endowment, however, does not have necessary competences for that.
And Bulat aka Butya Abilov confirmed that – he said that Internet was the main source of information for his endowment.
We do not have resources and powers to run investigations of our own, that is why our endeavors are based on what we find on the net. And latter is swarming with all sorts of information,
he said.
Well, actually, law enforcement bodies, dealing with the money repatriation, also have Internet access! You can ask our Digital Minister Bagdat Musin about that. Then, why would Butya need a special endowment? May be for public promotion of a political party he cannot register?
In addition to Butya The Opposition, the not-exactly-unknown ex-banker Urazaly Yerzhanov is also onboard of the Endowment. Mr. Yerzhanov was a figurant in the criminal investigation of the KZT 3 billion embezzlement from Nauryz Bank and leadership in an organized criminal group.
The ex-boss of Kazakhstan Railroads Yerlan Atamkulov reports that in the beginning of 2000-s, Yerzhanov did the undoable – he played those, who could play anyone.
The ex-banker keeps mum about those undoable things – even while being interviewed by allied Mass Media, such as the Giperborey Youtube Channel and its owner — Vladimir Boreyko.
“Doing the undoable by playing those who can play anyone” is about Yerzhanov’s conflict with Atamkulov and Imangali Tasmagambetov.
On 9 June 2004, Member of the Parliament Tolen Tohtasynov approached President Nazarbayev with an official letter. Before that, he received an official letter from Yerzhanov asking for protection from Imangali Tasmagambetov. At the time of events, Tasmagabmetov was the Head of President’s Administration.
In the letter to MP, Yerzhanov reported that in 2002, Tasmagambetov (Head of President’s Administration) and Atamkulov (Head of Kazakhstan Railroads) brought USD 10 million in cash to Nauryz Bank, he was in charge of, to replenish its Charter Capital.
In March 2004, as Yerzhanov reported, both officials demanded those 10 millions back. Yerzhanov tried to convince them that the withdrawal of the sum from the bank would make it bankrupt. They initiated a campaign of inspections and audits of the bank.
Mr. Atamkulov gave an interview to the Liter Newspaper (affiliated with Kazakh Railroads), during which he reported the following:
The bank’s work was all about bringing the money into the bank and then transferring it in unknown direction… Speaking easy, he withdrew a giant sum from the bank and that is why our Counter-Fraud Police initiated the criminal investigation…
In 2011, the fugitive ex-banker was extradited from Russia to Kazakhstan. In 2012, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison. MP Tohtasynov left Kazakhstan for the prairies of Mongolia and nothing is known about him ever since.
But, as Yerzhanov himself stipulates, Internet remembers everything. Hail to the Thief…Pardon – Hail to Google!
By the way, Yerzhanov never returned those stolen moneys to clients.
So, how is he going to take care about the repatriation of moneys stolen by his alikes, by means of the Elge Qaitary Endowment he created together with Bulat Abilov? Will he start from his own self? Will he start from Yevgeny Feld, Bulat Abilov’s Son-in-Law?
He is Just a Sonny-in-Law, What Do You Want from Him?
People with malicious tongues claim that Feld, one the pioneers of the Kazakh private banking, is in close relations with Abilov’s divorced daughter.
The Panama Papers, however, report that Feld’s foreign assets and luxury estates are owned by his Elder Spouse – Gulnara Zhokebayeva – one nice implication of the status of the Elder or Senior Wife.
Google, the browser so much valued by Abilov and Yerzhanov, reports that Feld’s business empire grew to the merit of cheap credits from Kazkommertzbank. That empire also includes Feld’s associates – former Vice-Premier Sauat Mynbayev, Askar Alshinbayev and Nurzhan Subhanberdin.
According to leaks collected by OCCRP investigative journalists, that group’s failed projects were then paid by Kazkommertzbank. Only after those leaks from Bahamas it became known that many companies, whose credits were written-off and closed by the bank were associated with Meridian Capital.
In the result of that, the bank received several rounds of financial aid from the Government – USD 1.4 billion in 2010 and USD 7.5 billion in 2011. Those sums, put together, are slightly less than one half of aggregate riches owned by Kazakhstan’s 50 oligarchs in 2012, according to Forbes (USD 23.9 billion).
Now, Feld and his Tokal – the Younger Wife, Abilov’s daughter have Cyprus citizenship and a KZT 5 billion seaside villa, as follows from French commercial registries. Abilov, apparently, is aware of his daughter’s address of permanent residence abroad. If not, then, as Yerzhanov said – “Internet is swarming with data”.