For the first time since the arrest of its head Karim Masimov, the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan has provided some details of the investigation.
As ACCA has already reported, the Chairman of the NSC, Karim Masimov, was arrested on January 8 on suspicion of high treason. After the end of the January riots, personnel changes took place in almost all law enforcement structures of Kazakhstan, and some of the high-ranking employees were arrested, others committed suicide.
As for Karim Masimov, the authorities remained stubbornly silent about the reasons for his detention. And now some details of his criminal case have become known.
According to the press service of the NSC, in addition to treason, preparations for a violent seizure of power and abuse of office, their former chief is also suspected of committing corruption crimes.
“In particular, an investigation is underway into the fact that Masimov received a bribe in the amount of $2 million from representatives of a foreign state under one of the closed contracts as Chairman of the NSC. The return of these funds from Hong Kong to the National Bank of Kazakhstan was ensured. An investigation has also been launched into the fact that Masimov received an elite guest house and a land plot in the capital worth about $5 million from one of the business structures during his tenure as Prime Minister. After Masimov was detained, in January 2022, $17.2 million in cash was confiscated from this guest house, as well as numerous luxury items: luxury watches, gold bars, antiques, etc.,” the report says.
The Department also added that 11 expensive business-class cars belonging to him were confiscated from Masimov.
“His property has been seized – two luxury apartments in the city of Nur-Sultan, two apartments and a mansion in the city of Almaty, as well as a land plot of 1 hectare on the shore of the lake in Shuchinsk-Borovoe resort area. $5.1 million was confiscated and arrested from Masimov’s inner circle,” the NSC added.
At the same time, as noted in the message, this is not all the money that Masimov and his entourage took possession of during his work in high-ranking positions. Now the investigative group, together with the authorized state bodies, is working on the search, arrest and return to Kazakhstan of even larger funds illegally withdrawn from Kazakhstan to accounts in foreign banks.
“The facts of illegal receipt of real estate, expensive gifts, including cultural values, significant funds from representatives of the domestic business community and foreign entities have also been documented. On all these facts, active investigative and operational measures are being carried out,” the Department concluded.