Image by laurinkofler, Creative Commons usage.

Translation of Sorge’s post

High-profile corruption scandal has exploded in Kazakhstan. This time it involved «KazAtomProm» National Company - the largest strategic state-owned enterprise of Kazakhstan.

Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the president of «KazAtomProm» was dismissed three weeks after Tatiana Kvyatkovskaya, the member of the ruling party “Nur-Otan”, in her speech inquired to start criminal investigation against him, stating that allegedly “the uranium deposits were sold for peanuts”.

On May 25, 2009 the Press Office of the Kazakhstan National Security Committee (KNB) recently confirmed that the former head of «KazAtomProm» NC had been arrested. But the accusations against M. Dzhakishev were officially announced only on June 01, 2009. Principally he is accused that 60% of the state-owned uranium deposits were transferred into his property. Moreover, allegedly he established “a number of offshore and dummy companies owning over 200 thousand tons uranium strategic stock costing tens of thousands US dollars in order to steal funds raised from uranium production”

Mukhtar Ablyazov is another person involved in the investigation, because the offshore companies for withdrawal of the funds raised from the uranium products sales were established by Mukhtar Dzhakishev together with him. The investigation authorities strongly repel that the hidden motives of this criminal investigation is political, because of the previous relations between Dzhakishev, Rakhat Aliev and Mukhtar Ablyazov (Dzhakishev had been going to the same kindergarten as Aliyev, and then studied at the university in Moscow together with Ablyazov).

Thus, Mukhtar Dzhakishev, who is described as “the honest and talented top-manager” in the appeal addressed to President of Kazakhstan and signed by his colleagues and local top-businessmen, became the state criminal.

The wives of «KazAtomProm» top-managers also decided not to stand off and organized active informational campaign. They addressed to the President of Kazakhstan, heads of the National Security Committee and Prosecutor-General’s Office, asking to ensure the legitimacy of this criminal case investigation. The legitimacy of the investigation became doubtful because they were forced to use public attorneys, there were no arrest warrants for other persons taken into custody, and it was not allowed to visit them.

Lately the President requested from Prosecutor-General’s Office to increase the control over the legitimacy of investigations of criminal cases investigated in Kazakhstan, including «KazAtomProm» case. However, presuming from the KNB appeal to those, who received from Mukhtar Dzhakishev “tens of thousands of US dollars and expensive presents to confess” and abuse of human rights during investigation, the evidentiary basis for this case is not that strong so far.

Dzhakishev’s case has already evoked wide international response, which threatens the image of Kazakhstan on the threshold of its OSCE chairmanship. The more especially as the representatives of «Human Rights Watch», the international human rights organization, offered their assistance when the appeal against the actions of the government in the case of «KazAtomProm» NC and its officers will be submitted to the appropriate UN bodies.