The Kazakhstan Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) reported the uncovering of a smuggling scheme involving goods from China. One of the company’s founders and three employees, accused by the AFM of illegally importing products from China, were sentenced to prison. However, the second founder, Anipa Nazarbayeva, the younger sister of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, faced no claims from the authorities.
This raises the question: Are the relatives of the former president untouchable?
🔸 Damage of 10 Billion Tenge
Hundreds of tons of cargo pass through customs checkpoints on the Kazakh-Chinese border daily. These are subject to multi-level inspections, including cameras, scanners, and visual checks. In theory, smuggling goods under such conditions is extremely difficult.
In practice, however, according to the AFM, trucks illegally transported goods into Kazakhstan for years, bypassing customs regulations.
The AFM claims that from 2019 to 2021, Group of the Companies TDA smuggled over 100 containers of goods from China. The company’s owners entered into fictitious contracts with various firms and issued fake invoices. They understated the volume or value of the cargo, conducted sham transactions, or declared one type of goods while importing another.
The AFM estimates the damage at approximately 10 billion tenge in unpaid taxes and customs duties. During the investigation, 643 million tenge was recovered for the state budget. The court seized goods worth 1.3 billion tenge, as well as land plots, vehicles, and other property valued at 300 million tenge.
Additionally, 47 partner companies linked to Group of the Companies TDA voluntarily paid 240 million tenge in taxes to the state budget.
🔸 Who Was Punished?
Group of the Companies TDA has two founders: Anipa Nazarbayeva, sister of Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Ali Klyshpayev. On July 21, the AFM announced the conviction of the company’s employees, which Kazakh media reported as breaking news.
In reality, the verdict was issued in August of the previous year and took effect in February 2025. The reasons for the delayed announcement by the agency remain unclear.
The main defendant in the case was co-founder and director Ali Klyshpayev. The Almaly District Court in Almaty sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison. Other employees received shorter sentences: Anton Ogay – 4 years, Nurbuvi Kurbanova – 1 year and 4 months, and Kadyr Tileubergenov – 3 years.
Case materials state that Anipa Nazarbayeva issued a power of attorney to Ali Klyshpayev for acquiring companies to issue fake invoices and for re-registering firms. Based on this authority, fake documents were prepared, and goods were illegally imported from China.
Anipa Nazarbayeva’s name appears in the indictment and the suspects’ testimonies. However, according to available information, she was neither summoned to court as a suspect nor as a witness. The verdict contains no mention of her being questioned.
In May 2022, Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor’s Office reported a 165 billion tenge loss to the state due to tax evasion and customs violations. The same report noted that Group of the Companies TDA illegally imported goods worth 287 million tenge, and its director was detained.
🔸 Untouchable?
Companies linked to Nursultan Nazarbayev’s relatives have repeatedly been embroiled in scandals. Yet, family members of the former president avoid public comments or explanations.
The family’s key assets remain under their control, fueling discussions about the untouchability of the former leader’s relatives and the performative nature of the investigations.
Photo from azattyq.org
