Former matchmaker Nursultan Nazarbayevbusinessman Kairat Boranbaev transfers everything acquired through backbreaking labor to the state. Among the returned assets are an oil field, a gas distribution company, a chain of fitness centers, shopping and entertainment complexes and much more. The former oligarch, convicted last month of embezzlement, is parting with his property voluntarily. Boranbaev’s desire to cooperate with the investigation has already helped him reduce his sentence for embezzlement from eight to six years in prison. Perhaps this is not the limit, since the press service of the Financial Monitoring Agency reports almost daily about new assets transferred by the businessman. What the repentant oligarch has already given to the state and what else he can offer is in the Fergana material.
Kairat Boranbaev is a person from the circle of the former president of Kazakhstan. His daughter Alima was married to the grandson of Nursultan Nazarbayev – Aisultan, who died in August 2020. Just two years ago, Boranbaev was included in two Kazakhstan Forbes rating – the richest and most influential businessmen of the republic. The magazine estimated his fortune at $590 million.
Until his detention and subsequent arrest in March last year, Boranbaev had no plans to return anything to anyone. A month later, it became known that the akimat (mayor’s office) of Almaty had regained control over paid parking lots that had been transferred to private ownership in 2016. One of the operating companies of these parking lots, AlanParking LLP, was controlled by Boranbaev and his relative. In a short time, 100% of the share in this company became the property of the city, and income, accordingly, began to flow into the city budget.
In mid-September, shortly before the oligarch was sentenced, the Financial Monitoring Agency reported that Kairat Boranbaev voluntarily returned assets worth over 90 billion tenge ($195.4 million) to the state. Among them were an oil field, a gas distribution company, a service enterprise, hotel and shopping and entertainment complexes, a network of fitness centers, and office premises. The names and costs of the objects have only just been published by AFM. The following became the property of the state:
👉 Karazhanbas Severny field, the production parameters of which are 143 wells with a reserve of 2.6 million tons of oil and 13.2 million cubic meters of gas with an estimated cost of 35.4 billion tenge ($74 million). It is the most expensive asset;
👉 gas distribution company Asia Gas Chundzha, which transports and sells commercial gas. Its market value is about 14 billion tenge ($29 million);
👉 plant for the production and repair of oil and gas equipment LLP “Service Center KazTurboRemont” with an estimated cost of more than 9 billion tenge ($18.8 million). The number of employees of the enterprise is 740 people;
👉 hotel complex Comfort Hotel Astana (four stars) in the center of the Kazakh capital worth over 1.4 billion tenge (about $3 million);
👉 underground shopping center “Almaly” on Republic Square in Almaty;
👉 Unity Hall LLP (engaged in rental and property management). The area of the facility, located in the Almaty Towers business center, exceeds 11 thousand square meters;
👉 Fitnation network of fitness clubs, whose facilities are located in Astana, Almaty and Kostanay.
The value of the last three assets is 33.75 billion tenge (about $70 million).
👉 Boranbaev’s company transferred another $66 million to the Education Infrastructure Support Fund. Money from there will be used for the construction and reconstruction of schools and other educational institutions, as well as for the development of the social sphere throughout the country.
👉 The businessman reimbursed 14.5 billion tenge ($30.3 million) as part of an investigation into the theft of funds during the import of natural gas. By the court verdict in the same case, he were confiscated a plot in Almaty and over 2 billion tenge ($4 million) in bank accounts.
The refund, coupled with the contribution to the Fund and the transferred assets, cost Boranbaev almost $300 million. This is approximately half of his previous wealth. And this is just what was reported by the Financial Monitoring Agency, but there were other episodes of “donation”.
Forbes.kz recently wrotethat the shareholders of Phystech II JSC (Aktau), including Kairat Boranbaev, decided to “voluntarily and free of charge” transfer to the state 100% of the company’s common voting shares (slightly more than 13.7 million pieces) with a total estimated value of 35.42 billion tenge ($74 million). The decision was made on October 4.
Phystech II was created in June 2015. It is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of hydrocarbons in oil and gas areas in the Mangistau region, in particular, it is developing the Karazhanbas Northern oil field, which was also transferred to the state.
Zakon.kz, 10.26.2023, “Kairat Boranbaev’s nephew was sentenced”: In Astana, the court sentenced Abilkhan Boranbaev (nephew of Kairat Boranbaev) and Dauren Kazbek for a corruption offense. This was reported on October 26, 2023 in the capital’s interdistrict criminal court, Zakon.kz reports. […] The court found that Abilkhan Boranbaev gave a bribe in the total amount of more than 1.6 million tenge to senior detective Kazbek and Sh. (the case was closed due to death during the investigation). In turn, Kazbek and Sh., in a group of persons by prior conspiracy, received a bribe and, when escorting the investigative-arrested Kairat Boranbaev, illegally provided him with the opportunity for non-procedural contact with third parties through mobile communications, meetings, birthday celebrations with the use of alcoholic beverages. […]
Court verdict:
— Abilkhan Boranbaev was found guilty of committing a criminal offense under Art. 367 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months of imprisonment with lifelong deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service and in the quasi-public sector.
— Dauren Kazbek was found guilty of committing a criminal offense under Art. 366 part 3 clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and he was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 7 years with lifelong deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service and in the quasi-public sector. — Insert K.ru