Former Minister of Culture Arystanbek Mukhamediuly has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The investigation portrayed Mukhamediuly as the main organizer and villain.
However, a review of case materials, interrogation records, court rulings, and contracts presents a very different picture: the former minister was not the ultimate beneficiary of the corruption schemes. He did not own the entities involved in the criminal cases and received neither money nor ownership stakes in those companies.
Today, all major facilities involved in the Mukhamediuly case are controlled not by the state, but by a group of private individuals. They are not behind bars — on the contrary, they continue to receive government contracts worth billions of tenge.
One of the key beneficiaries of the Ministry of Culture’s corruption schemes turned out to be the scandal-ridden businessman Arman Baikadam. At one time, he publicly called for the overthrow of President Tokayev and declared his readiness to lead a provisional government. Yet, according to investigative journalists, Baikadam conducted his business activities under the “protection” of Akbota Nazarbayeva, the daughter of Bolat Nazarbayev.
It appears that former Minister Mukhamediuly was turned into a politically convenient scapegoat, suitable for a high-profile conviction. The case looks even more suspicious given that, during his tenure as Minister of Culture, Mukhamediuly had a serious conflict with Dariga Nazarbayeva.
The video features an excerpt from an investigation by journalists of the Elmedia Kazakhstan channel.
