The Rakhat Aliyev’s most recent exposure in the media was dedicated to the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s hearings on Kazakhstan. The exiled former presidential son-in-law accused Nazarbayev of corruption, and this obviously impressed the participants of hearings – the  Aliyev’s interview was on the first page of Wall Street Journal. As reported, US lawmakers questioned the selection of Kazakhstan as the next leader of the OSCE.

Senator Cardin said that “some opposition figures and journalists have been murdered or have died under suspicious circumstances” and added that he found “quite sobering” N. Nazarbaev’s assessment that Kazakhstan’s democratization “cannot move faster than his giant neighbors Russia and China.

Rep. Butterfield said he was troubled by “very serious allegations” of corruption by Kazakhstan’s president reported Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal. Both congressmen have visited Astana recently for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session. These their  statements were never published elsewhere.

Journalists add that Aliyev provided a handful of blank ballots he said were left over from ballot box stuffing during 1999 elections. Well, it can be very easily understood where did he get them from, and what he did with them in 1999…

In an interview after the hearing, Rep. Butterfield said “the allegations are serious enough that we have got to look into it….We owe it to American companies doing business in Kazakhstan for them to know the truth” (although they must be the ones who know all schemes better than anybody).

The Kazakh government declined to comment on the allegations by the president’s former son-in-law. Mr. Tazhiev from the Kazakh embassy in Washington D.C. said his country is essentially a one-party state and that the government is still seeking to address the issue, possibly by designating an opposition faction in its Parliament.