William Shakespeare
The follow-up to the answer given by Rashid Tusupbekov at an online conference organized by him made me analyze the current situation in Kazakhstan and Switzerland relating to my family; as a result, I wished to make the information I have public. A quotation from R. Rusupbekov especially got my attention: “Presently, the mechanism in charge of criminal prosecution is actively working with relevant bodies in foreign countries.” In this context, I offer to those who visit my information site about Nursultan Nazarbayev’s lobbyists as well as people who work with Rashid Tusupbekov in Switzerland and Great Britain, according to the desire expressed by Nursultan Nazarbayev.
I will also analyze the personal situation of Nursultan Nazarbayev and the logical way the 24-year period he has remained in power in Kazakhstan will come to an end.
The Swiss lobby of President Nazarbayev
1. Amanzhol Zhankuliev, Head of External Information Department of Kazakhstan “SYRBAR”.
Education: College of French Language of the Educational Institute of Foreign Languages in Almaty (1972), French teacher;
College of Diplomatic Studies within the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR (1987), diplomat.
From 1984 to 1992, A. Zhankuliev held various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, in USSR Embassies in France, Turkey and Vietnam.
A. Zhankuliev is an executive for the External Information Department; he is a graduate of the Academy of the External Information Department, and has namely worked for the N1 General Director of the USSR State Security Committee (KGB).
1999: Ambassador on special assignment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
2001: Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Tajikistan.
2002: Ambassador of Kazakhstan in the Turkish Republic.
2005: Ambassador of Kazakhstan in France.
February 2008: Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Swiss Confederation, in the Principality of Liechtenstein and in the Vatican; permanent representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the European Bureau of the United Nations Organization and other international organizations in Geneva (Switzerland).
His job as Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Switzerland began in 2008, after the Khrapunovs had left Kazakhstan to come settle in Geneva, and he stayed in this position from 2008-2009.
In February 2009, A. Zhankuliev was appointed as Director of “Syrbar”, the External Information Department of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He knew Switzerland well, as well as its political environment, so he developed and carried out the strategy to force the Khrapunovs to leave Switzerland.
2. Kassym-Zhomart Tokaev, Vice Director General of the UN, Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva.
From 1975 to 1992, K.Z. Tokaev worked within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, namely in the USSR Embassies in Singapore and in the People’s Republic of China. He was linked with the USSR State Security Committee (KGB).
In 1992, K. Tokaev was appointed as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1994 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1999 he gained the position of Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
K.Z. Tokaev took part in the repression committed against democratic forces in Kazakhstan. On November 20, 2001, at the request of the President, K. Tokaev delivered a speech on TV (on the channel Khabar) in which he addressed President Nazarbayev, requesting him to lay off some members of government and a few officials, including Mukhtar Ablyazov, Galymshan Zhakiyanov, Oraz Dwhandosov and others who had spoken out for the commitment of democratic reforms in the country and who had recently created the political movement “For Democratic Choice in Kazakhstan”.
In 1999, after the start of criminal prosecutions against the Kazakh President in Switzerland and the United States and his close entourage (this resounding corruption case was called “Kazakhgate”), Nazarbayev entrusted Tokaev with the mission to take all practical measure to end the investigation: all means – political, economic and others – were good for achieving this result. Tokaev was also in charge of finding a new attorney for President Nazarbayev. In 2002-2003, K. Tokaev came to Switzerland several times to solve the problem with Swiss authorities.
In May 2009, Rakhat Aliev, ex-husband of Dariga Nazarbayeva, the eldest daughter of the President, and who held the position of Assistant Director General of the National Security Committee (KNB), General of the KNB Brigade, published the book “Godfather in Law”, where he gave the following judgment about K. Tokaev:
Scarce are diplomats who aren’t covered by “spy protection”. Tokaev has one: the first of his close contacts with the State Security Committee go back to his years at university. When he was a student in Moscow, he was known by the Secret Service as “Gnus” (sinister, abject). When it came to infiltrating this valuable agent in Kazakhstan, he was hired by the Chinese Embassy, just before the arrival of Nazarbayev to this country. The Khan noticed his compatriot, so the infiltration was a success. From that moment on, Gnus began his ascent, or his take off. The only thing that nobody considered was the fact that Tokaev was already drafted by the Chinese Secret Service, and afterward by their American counterparts. Sensible people only realized this later, once he transferred a part of the territory of Kazakhstan to China.
On March 12, 2011, K. Takaev was appointed as Vice Director General of the UN, Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva.
3. Kanat Saoudabaev, Nazarbayev family friend.
From 1972-1976, he was Director of the State Circus of Kazakhstan.
In 1994, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
From 1999-2000, he directed the Office of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
From 2000-2007, he was Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the United States.
From 2007-2077, he became Secretary of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and presided the OSCE.
In January 2012, he was appointed as Director of the “Nazarbayev Center”, a multifunctional, public, scientific, analytical, humanitarian and educational institution.
Nursultan Nazarbayev entrusted Kanat Saoudabaev (as well as K. Tokaev) with the assignment of seeking out companies that would lobby for the Nazarbayev’s interests in the United State in order to ensure his defense in the Kazakhgate Affair. To carry out this mission, K. Saoudabaev worked with Alexander Mirchev.
Presently, K. Saoudabaev regularly comes to Switzerland for Nazarbayev’s personal matters. Thus, in November 2012, he attended the opening of the Nazarbayev Center and the “Atom” Project in Basel and Geneva. Along with Tokaev, Saoudabaev is in charge of solving the issue of seizing shares and funds in Swiss bank accounts belonging to Nazarbayev’s daughter, Dinara and her husband Timur Kulibayev.
4. Bulat Utemuratov, confidant to N. Nazarbayev.
From 1995-1999, B. Utemuratov was Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Switzerland.
From 1999-2003, he became the Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev.
From 2003-2006, he held the position of Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan.
In 2008, he was an Advisor to President Nazarbayev.
His personal fortune is estimated at 1.6 billion US dollars.
At the prompting of Bulat Utermuratov and the American businessman Marc Rich, the famous company Glencore arrived in Kazakhstan. Through B. Utermuratov, Glencore bought the company Kazzinc, located in eastern Kazakhstan. In the Netherlands and in Switzerland, the company Glencore International AG is suspected of having paid millions of dollars under the table to Nazarbayev’s assistant B. Utermuratov to purchase Kazzinc shares.
C’est à l’instigation de Bulat Utermuratov et de l’homme d’affaires américain Marc Rich que la célèbre société Glencore est arrivée au Kazakhstan. Par le biais de B. Utermuratov, Glencore a racheté la société Kazzink située au Kazakhstan oriental. Aux Pays-Bas et en Suisse la société Glencore International AG est soupçonnée d’avoir payé plusieurs millions de dollars en dessous-de-table à l’assistant ne Nazarbayev B. Utermuratov pour l’achat des actions de Kazzinc.
With the support of his associates in the company Glencore, B. Utermuratov lobbied in favor of the Nazarbayev clan.
In late 2011, the company “Verny Kapital, Inc.”, which belongs de facto to N. Nazarbayev and of which B. Utermuratov, his confidant, is the official beneficiary, bought the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Moscow for 700 million dollars, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Vienna, Austria for 350 million dollars. On October 22 and 23, 2012, during the official visit of the Kazakh President in Vienna, Bulat Utermuratov presented the hotel to its actual owner, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
5. Akhmed Mestoev, compatriot to Sara Nazarbayeva, the first wife of N. Nazarbayev.
From 1996-2002, A. Mestoev was the Commercial Representative of Kazakhstan in Switzerland, representative of N. Nazarbayev within the company Glencore International AG.
From 2002-2011, he was the Commercial Representative of Kazakhstan in Russia.
In August 2011, he was appointed as Vice Director of the Presidential Administration.
One of Mestoev’s wives, with whom he had children, lives in Geneva.
Mestoev regularly comes to Switzerland to carry out delicate (often private) assignments requested by N. Nazarbayev. He is currently protecting affairs of the Nazarbayev’s youngest daughter, Aliya. According to confidential information, on instruction by the Nazarbayevs, he acquired several properties in Geneva that has been registered under the confidants’ names.
6. Saulé Tlevlessova, confidant to N. Nazarbayev, close friend to Dariga Nazarbayeva.
From 1995-1999, she worked as Second Secretary of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Switzerland. At the time, Bulat Utermuratov was the Ambassador.
Since Utermuratov left Switzerland (after the end of his term as Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Switzerland), Saulé Tlevlessova has remained in Geneva. She landed a position within the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
As N. Nazarbayev’s confidant, Saulé Tlevlessoca has participated in the transaction relating to the sale of shares of the company “Agence Khabar”, belonging to the government: she bought this share at a reduced price and held the share in the name of Dariga Nazarbayeva.
In 2006, along with Nursultan Nazarbayev, she participated in the resale of this share of the company Khabar, Inc., which had once again become acquired by the government; this time, the value of the participation was 100 million US dollars. We can conclude that an act of corruption was committed.
In Switzerland, Saulé Tlevlessova and her husband, Igor Ivanov, have carried out delicate assignment entrusted to them by the Nazarbayev clan.
7. Behgjet Pacolli, President of the Swiss company, Mabatex Group.
B. Pacolli was involved in the case of money laundering in Switzerland regarding Timur Kulibayev.
In 2006, Timur Kulibayev, through one of his associates who is being investigated for money laundering in Switzerland, acquired a beautiful 19th century mansion in Tessin, near Lugano, the Villa Romantica. In the course of the investigation, it was found that the Villa Romantica belonged to an off-shore company based in Tortola, Virgin Islands, represented by Behgjet Pacolli, a businessman originally from Kosovo and a friend to the Nazarbayevs.
Thanks to his special relationship with the Nazarbayev family, Pacolli has won building contracts in Astana, the new capital of the country (namely the International Airport in Astana, a theater, the “Arman” complex, the Radisson Hotel, Inc., the Presidential Palace in Astana, as well as many buildings meant for the government).
B. Pacolli played a leading role when it came to finding a position in Switzerland for Dinara Kulibayeva, the President’s daughter. Through his efforts, in early 2007, Dinara Kulibayeva was hired by the company Viled International and was able to get residence and work permits in Switzerland.
B. Pacolli has a very wide network of contacts in political and business circles in Switzerland.
8. Alexander Mirtchev
In 2007, Mirchev became First Advisor in Economic Issues of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
From 2007-2008, he was President of the Administration Council, then Independent Director of the Fond company for sustainable development, Kazyna, Inc.
On October 17, 2008, he was elected member of the Management Board of the company Samrouk-Kasyna, Inc.; he became independent Director of the company.
Alexander Mirchev is the owner of the companies Krull Corporation, GlobalOptions, Inc. and GlobalOptions Management, Inc. His main activity is political lobbying.
The President’s eldest daughter, Dariga, introduced him to Alexander Mirchev.
A. Mirchev signed a contract with N. Nazarbayev saying that he would ensure political lobbying to defend his interests in political and industrial circles in the United States. Through his efforts, the Kazakhgate affair was forgotten. It was also Alexander Mirchev who developed the “Super Khan” project, aiming at establishing Nazarbayev’s unlimited power in Kazakhstan.
9. Glencore International AG, a Swiss commodities trading and brokering company, one of the largest suppliers of raw materials and rare earths in the world, holding 51% of shares in Kazzinc. In Switzerland and the Netherlands, Glencore is suspected of having paid several millions of dollars to Bulat Utermuratov, Assistant to Nazarbayev, in order to purchase shares in the company Kazzinc.
10. Dynamics Group AG, a Swiss communications and public relations working for the Nazarbayevs. Efforts made by specialists in this agency let their clients establish good relationships with politicians, to form a positive political opinion about them, to position themselves highly and to manage their reputation. Through the advice of this communication agency, the lobbying project info@demos.ru was developed. Aiming at discrediting the Khrapunovs in Switzerland and Kazakhstan, they carried out an opinion poll in Kazakhstan. This poll was made in violation of laws and the Khrapunov’s civil rights because their photos were published on forms without their permission. In addition, the same forms, it is stated that the project was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is totally false. When asked about it, the Foundation officially stated that it did not have anything to do with this project. In short, this was a premeditated fabrication of slanderous information serving the interests of the Nazarbeyevs, who paid for it. This is an example of collaboration between two Swiss lobbying organizations and a Nazarbayev company, well illustrating how the dictator likes to do things.
11. Nursultan Nazarbayev’s attorneys in Switzerland
Marc Bonnant, attorney who defended N. Nazarbayev during the Kazakhgate case in 2002.
Homburger Law Firm in Zurich, representing the Agency for the Fight Against Corruption and Economic Crimes of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Switzerland. The main associate of this firm is Peter Widmer. Tages Anzeiger on March 06, 2013
Derrick J. Widmer, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Switzerland, President of the Switzerland-Kazakhstan Association, owner of the law firm Dr. Widmar & Partners – Attorneys-at-law.
PYTHON&PETER, a law firm in Geneva. The firm works especially with Kazakh counterparts in the firm Dostovolov & Co., who dissimulated this conflict of interests to the Krapunovs.
Dmitry Lavrov, attorney who used to work at the firm PYTHON&PETER. He currently represents Dinar Kulibayeva.
12. Dias Suleymenov, part of the close entourage of Timur Kulibayev, President Nazarbayevs son-in-law.
First Assistant Director General of the corporation Kamkor Management.
CEO of the company “KazMunayGaz, Inc. House of Commerce”.
D. Suleymenov participated in taking over the company VILED in Kazakhstan. Officially, he and Daniyar Abulgazin bought the company VILED at a reduced price.
13. Daniyar Abulgazin, confidant to Timur Kulibayev, President Nazarbayev’s son-in-law.
Administrator of the National Fund for National Prosperity “Samruk-Kazyna, Inc.”
Member of the Board of the national company KazMunayGaz, Inc., and of the companies KEGOC, Inc. and Samruk-Energo, Inc.
14. VILED International, Inc. in the Tessin is part of the VILED group of Kazakh companies, owning a network of shops specialized in the sale of high-end watches, jewelry and accessories. The administration and management of the Tessin branch was done by Stefano Camponovo, a specialist in trust management in the Tessin, who has mandates in more than 50 boards, and by Edy Grignola. This company was used by Dinar Kulibayeva, N. Nazarbayev’s second daughter, when she wanted to get a residency permit in Switzerland and acquire real estate.
15. Vector Energy AG, a Kazakh trading company.
Before the corporate name was changed to become KazMunayGaz Trading AG, these Kazakh citizens were among the company’s employees:
Murat Dzhumadillaev, former President of the Board of the company, based in Küssnacht SZ (Canton of Schwytz, Switzerland). From 2005, Murat Dzhumadillaev carried out the role of First Assistant Director General of the company “KazMunayGaz SA House of Commerce”.
Timur Azimov, First Assistant Director General of the company Rompetrol Group, former Member of the Monitoring Board of the company Vector Energy AG. T. Azimov is based in Lugano, Switzerland.
16. KazMunayGaz Trading AG – the new name of the company “Vector Energy AG”, one of the organizations part of the Rompetrol Group, specialized in trading. This company would in fact be the only supplier of Kazakh petrol in Switzerland. On May 21, 2012, Zhanat Tusupbedov, son of Rashid Tusupbekov, President of the Agency for the Fight Against Corruption and Economic Crimes of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was appointed as CEO of the Rompetrol Group.
The Monitoring Council of the company includes, among other:
Other people also working with the company KazMunayGaz Trading AG :
as well as the Bayzhanov brothers:
All the aforementioned Kazakh officials lobby for the interest of Nursultan Nazarbayev in Switzerland. To do so, they use resources of the Services and Department where they work and call upon employees of the Embassy and Consulate of Kazakhstan, commercial representative offices, the mass media, detective agencies, public relations and communication agencies, and individuals.
Collaboration with the company KazMunayGaz Trading AG is of strategic importance for the Kazakh lobbyists. Indeed, through the intermediary of this company, the Nazarbayev’s Swiss lobbyists are funded.
According to articles in the press
The English lobby of President Nazarbayev
The lobby group representing the interests of President Nazarbayev in Great Britain is led by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who currently serves as staff advisor to President Nazarbayev. The formation of a pro-Nazarbayev lobby in London is nothing new: the story began already in 1999 when Nurtay Abykaev, former President of the National Security Council of Kazakhstan was promoted to Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Great Britain. Then, Kanat Saudabaev took over. He managed to develop good relationships with members of both Houses of Parliament. This was the time of the beginning of the special relationship with member of the Royal Family, especially Prince Andrew, who has been to Kazakhstan several times. As Mayor of Almaty, Viktor Khrapunov was asked more than once by the President to receive this guest of honor in Almaty. We know what this led to: representatives from Kazakhstan became purchasers of a castle belonging to Prince Andrew, but several irregularities were observed in the transaction: the property was sold for 5 million pounds sterling higher than the offered price, constituting a crime of corruption. When it was made public, it led to widespread outrage and tarnished the reputation of the British monarchy.
Using carefully built relationships with English politicians, Kazakh representatives brought important British delegations to Kazakhstan to attend all sorts of events, especially during legislative elections. These delegations made highly publicized statements in which they assured that the elections in Kazakhstan were perfectly compliant with international standards and requirements. One delegation especially drew our attention: in 2005, during the presidential elections, a delegation from the Caspian Center of Information was invited to Kazakhstan by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Great Britain to monitor the elections. The Kazakhs were responsible for paying for the costs associated with this trip. The delegation included:
Once the assignment was carried out, the delegation concluded that the presidential elections organized in Kazakhstan were perfectly compliant with requirements from OSCE, etc.
If we look closely at the members of the delegation, we understand better the choice of two judges (William Blair and Nigel Teare), who would participate in the Mukhtar Ablyazov case and whose verdict would favor N. Nazarbayev.
Among the British lobbyists, we can also find the name of Jonathan Aitken, who in 1999 was sentenced to 18 months in prison for false testimony and obstructing justice. After his bankruptcy caused by the trial, he started writing a biography of Nazarbayev, which is quite laudatory. One might wonder how it was possible to make a eulogy of a dictator. However, well-paid work let the sponsor Nazarbayev get the result up to his expectations.
According to articles in the press
Informing agents of the Kazakh Secret Service active in Europe (list made public in 2009 by Rakhat Aliev, ex-husband of Nazarbayev’s daughter, General of the Brigade of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
Agents of “Barlaü”, the External Information Department of the National Security Committee (KNB) of Kazakhstan, operating under diplomatic immunity in Embassies of the Republic of Kazakhstan in European Union member countries:
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Greece
Poland
Switzerland
Agents of “Barlaü”, the External Information Department with the KNB
Secret agents of the Secret Service of Astana:
Statesmen recruited by the KGB of the USSR:
The Nazarbayevs’ Pyramid
The people of Kazakhstan have renounced the ideology based on the construction of a socialist society in the Soviet Union, and for 24 years have been building the ideological pyramid of Nursultan Nazarbayev, which can be compared with the ones built by Egyptian pharaohs.
From then on, the Nazarbayev family has erected architectural masterpieces in the main cities of the country, Astana and Almaty, which were supposed to reflect their success in carrying out their power and in their business. In reality, the Nazarbayev daughters felt inspired by the history of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Thus, they were carried by their Kazakh slaves and appeared before the dazzled eyes of their guests in golden litters, dressed like Egyptian queens such as Cleopatra. This is happening now, during their birthday celebrations or other events.
Nowadays, the civic society in Kazakhstan lives in a fairy tale, believing their pharaoh, convinced that the fate of every citizen in the country depends on his heroic work. This isn’t an exaggeration; this is a fact. The Pharaoh Nazarbayev in person decides who must live at a certain address, who will get a retirement pension, he arranges marriages, etc. And if something doesn’t please him, or his harem, nothing will stop his rage: he won’t hesitate to get revenge on an international level, or resort to his personal relations with neighboring heads of state, or buying someone, or using the Kazakh secret service.
Sara Nazarbayeva, the President’s first wife, wrote a book that has become mandatory school reading for all students in Kazakhstan: “Knowing Yourself”. While in Russia the idea of creating a single history book leads to lively discussion, for the 10 years now, Kazakh citizens have lived and thought according to the model of Sara Nazarbayeva, spiritual mother to all Kazakhs, who are persuaded of the importance of her mission. To promote her ideas and to make the Nazarbayev’s great mission in Kazakhstan more well known, Sara Alpys-Kyzy went to India several times to see the guru Sai-Baba, who has proclaimed himself a god on earth. Since the Nazarbayevs have risen to power, Sara Alpys-Kyzy, the President’s first wife and her daughters have always stated that it was thanks to her that he succeeded in becoming President.
However furious Nazarbayev was, taking on a younger wife, transferring the capital to Astana, strengthening ties with her parents, nothing worked. Helped by her gurus, Sara Alpys-Kyzy “locked the door” so that the Pharaoh Nazarbayev would never be able to leave his Queen Sara and find the key to freedom. Sara then threw this key into the waters of the Ganges.
Today, family and friends of Sara Alpys-Kyzy are in power in Kazakhstan; could this be because of her black magic? – Perhaps. Will Nursultan Nazarbayev manage to save his heirs (the children he has with his young wife Assel) from the vengeance of his first wife, Sara Alpys-Kyzy and her daughters? Knowing her petty and vindictive nature, Muslim and Orthodox dignitaries have often spoken to me about this particularity of Sara Alpys-Kyzy; after hearing her preach about her mission and her book “Knowing Yourself” before members of the clergy, one priest told me, “This is devil worship!” Another Orthodox priest asked me what religion Sara Nazarbayeva belonged to and if she knew the Koran or the Bible.
Indeed, it is surprising that Nurtay Abykaev, one of Nazarbayev’s closest collaborators who is completely devoted to him, President of the National Security Council (KNB) of Kazakhstan, has never had the courage to send the President the file we might call “The Healers, Wizards and Mediums of Sara Alpys-Kyzy and Dariga Nazarbayeva”. Nazarbayev would be surprised to know what wicked spell the Almaty wizards engaged by Dariga have cast on Gulnara Rakisheva, with whom the President had two daughters. Following the spell, the flight attendant broke her leg in Almaty and her relationship with Nazarbayev, the father of her children, has completely broken down. Finally, to save her daughters’ lives, she had to leave Kazakhstan.
Today, Nazarbayev is no longer the same. He has been weakened, just like his closest collaborators, the old gang. Now, new powerbrokers have taken his side. Dariga Nazarbayeva, Berik Imashev, Serik Akhmetov, Rashid Tusupbekov and other members of Sara Alpys-Kyzy’s family, their spiritual mother, have strengthened their positions. Like guards in the gulag, they protect Nursultan Nazarbayeve and don’t let anyone get near and influence him.
It is indeed because of these powerbrokers that Nazarbayev’s power is weakening every day, because he has never known freedom from the clutches of Sara Alpy-Kysy. Today, Nazarbayev is manipulated by the parents of his first wife, who are using his power to fight the children and pensioners of their own country, to take revenge on their enemies and opponents and so that the Nazarbayev clan can never keep its power and wealth.
As far as Assel Isabaeva and his sons, we might wonder about their future. Have Sara Alpys-Kyzy or her daughters promised to take care of them? Personally, I can only pity the Nazarbayev children: they are still too young and ignorant of all these stories.