Almaty Region Akim Responds to Bazarbek’s Claims of Mass Illegal Land Allocation in Qapchagay and Ili District

Following parliamentary inquiries from Bakytzhan Bazarbek about illegal land distribution in Qapchagay and the Ili district, Almaty Region Akim Marat Sultangaziyev has issued a response, Orda.kz reports.

Reporters asked the akim about land plots that, according to Bazarbek, were registered under Konstantin Logutov, fenced off, inaccessible to locals, and in some cases located within protected natural zones.

Sultangaziyev said that many of the disputed plots have already been transferred under the jurisdiction of the newly formed city of Alatau, and their status will be regulated by a new law governing the city.

Regarding the city of Alatau, I mentioned that a special law is in effect there, in accordance with its special status. The issue of land restitution, its simplification and acceleration, will be covered by this law. Therefore, no matter whose land is there, we will create opportunities for it to be quickly returned, transferred to investors, or for them to invest in it themselves and use it — if the land was acquired legally. We've now sent a request to the Prosecutor General's Office; we'll see what the outcome is. We haven't received a response yet,
 Sultangaziyev stated.

Earlier, Bazarbek said that 80 questionable plots had been identified in Qapchagay, 50 of which contained serious violations.

In the Ili district, he alleged that former akim Nikolai Logutov distributed land through proxies for the benefit of his family.

What's shocking isn't the discovery of violations of the law, but who committed them. Officials working in the Qapchagay Akimat, in violation of the Land and Water Codes, granted private ownership and land use to close relatives of the first president, former high-ranking officials, and oligarchs on the Forbes list,
 Bazarbek said.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov