Classified: Experts On The Verdict of Karim Massimov and His Deputies

On April 24, former Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov, was sentenced to 18 years in prison with confiscation of property. He has also been handed down a life-long deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service. Massimov's case was investigated as "top secret" and the trial was held behind closed doors.

An Orda correspondent looked into what experts think about this case. How fair, in their opinion, is the verdict and what is its significance for modern Kazakhstan?

Massimov's Accomplices Are Laying Low

According to the director of the Institute of Eurasian Integration, Urazgali Selteev, the former leadership of the KNB, as expected, received relatively objective prison terms. In Western countries, including the United States, similar sentences could be much tougher. Attempts at information pressure and whitewashing in order to mitigate the punishment were in vain.

"But we should not relax or forget about the main thing. This is an occasion to make of increasing importance an equally dangerous problem for our statehood. Surely many accomplices and associates of the conspirators hid and “repainted" (became turncoats - Ed.). Clearing them out should not be formal. Serious rehabilitation is needed in all key areas, including in the camp of supporters of non-traditional Islam with a destructive orientation. And it should not be surprising when adherents of Salafism will continue to be resoundingly revealed in state and law enforcement agencies. There is no doubt about their skillful disguise. This is a big oversight in the development of our country and a vice that has been overlooked for too long,"

Selteev stressed.

Something to Hide

From the point of view of political analyst Viktor Kovtunovsky, it is impossible and unacceptable to assess the adequacy of Karim Massimov’s and his accomplices’ sentences. 

This is due to the fact that nothing is known about the essence of the charges brought against the former head of the KNB or the arguments of the defence. The investigation and trial were held behind closed doors with extreme secrecy. The verdict, therefore, cannot be considered fair. And the authorities did not even try to explain intelligibly why Massimov's case has been classified. 

 "In his address to Kazakhstanis after the January events, President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev urged to draw lessons from the tragedy, analyze the causes and give a "clear assessment" in order to "not allow this to happen again" in the future. What lesson can be learned if society has no idea who was the initiator and participant of the conspiracy, and what goals were pursued by the conspirators? The fact that Akorda chose not to give answers to these questions can only indicate that they have something to hide,"

Kovtunovsky said.

The Punishment Is a Little Harsh

"Based on the articles of the prosecution, according to which Karim Massimov was put on trial, and he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, then, expressing my opinion, I consider it a little harsh. The biggest sanction (punishment) is provided by Article 179 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, up to 17 years of imprisonment. According to Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with a combination of criminal offenses, strict punishment absorbs less severe ones. It is possible to apply partial or full cumulation of punishments. And since aggravating circumstances are not specified, in the end, Karim Massimov should not have been sentenced to more than 17 years,"

Lawyer Ruslan Kozhakhmet told Orda.

Edification of Those Who Planned Sedition

Political scientist Yerbol Edilov shared his thoughts on the fate of the former head of National Security and the political background of his case on his Telegram channel. Below is the verbatim text from his post.

"I must admit, it surprises me that some were surprised by such a big sentence. Of course, we don't know all the details – the case, like the process itself, was classified as "top secret", but we can draw some conclusions now.

First, about the term itself. Not all media outlets clarified that the court's verdict was passed by "partial cumulation of punishments," but Massimov was charged with three articles at once, two of which are particularly grave – "High Treason" and "Public calls for the seizure or retention of power, as well as the seizure or retention of power or forcible change of the constitutional order of the Republic of Kazakhstan." Personally, I immediately remembered the case of the coup attempt by Rakhat Aliyev and Alnur Musayev. Then, in the spring of 2008, they were both given 20 years of strict regime in absentia.

Why did this happen? I can't give an answer, but here you need to understand the aspects and the political component – they are in many ways different, although the court hearings themselves were held in a closed mode in both cases. I repeat that we do not know all the details and what the prosecution and the court were guided by, but in the case of Massimov and his deputies, I think there were more legal grounds, but at the same time it should not have looked like a massacre. This is the second (point - Ed.).

Thirdly, in addition to the above. Some time after the trial of Aliyev-Musayev, the KNB or the Prosecutor General's Office still told some details of the indictment. Let's hope that this time they will tell us something within the limits allowed by top-secret information. At least after the verdict comes into force (the convicted intend to appeal it). And this is very important from a political, or rather socio-political, point of view. After all, society expected from this process not so much the punishment of the once most influential "gray cardinal", but answers to the question – so what happened in January 2022?

The fourth point is financial. I will not be like some online conspiracy theorists, but the "Pulcinella's secret" is that Massimov was a "money tycoon". He could know a lot about how the assets of "Old Kazakhstan" were withdrawn and where they were hidden. Although it is unlikely that he would have been released if he had told everything about everyone – the burden of guilt, whatever one may say, is still on him. Based on this, we can conclude that in this regard, this case may have a continuation. And we can talk about larger amounts than the 10 billion tenge and $24 million announced at the trial. However, again, we do not know what these sums consist of.

Speaking of money. They began to say that some bloggers and telegram channels were offered a lot of money in order for them to spread the version about the fatal illness of Karim Kazhimkanovich. Although, if you look at the photo from the courtroom, he looks quite normal for a person who has spent more than 15 months in jail, not to mention a serious illness.

Against the background of the Massimov’s “18-year (sentence -Ed.)“, the sentences of his deputies somehow went into the shadows. Also big – they give less for some murders. Although we all understand that there are really "grave consequences" here. Here, probably, there is also a financial component (for example, they said about Yergozhin that he was responsible for the capital) and, perhaps, a connection with other committee chiefs (some have already been convicted), but this for another time – there is not enough information today. But in any case, the case of Massimov and Company is unique in many ways – starting with the very fact that no one would have thought (about this - Ed.) a couple of years ago, and ending with the fact that it will be an edification for all others who plot sedition against the state and the ultimate authorities."

Every Man For Himself

Political scientist Gaziz Abishev also outlined his thoughts on the high-profile case in Telegram.

"Karim Massimov was sentenced to 18 years in prison for actions described by the capacious English word treason.

In 2007, Massimov became the youngest head of government in the history of Independent Kazakhstan, at the time of his appointment as prime Minister he was 41 years old. Later – 5 and a half years of premiership, one and a half years of leadership of the AP (administration of the President - Ed.) and again 2.5 years of leadership of the government. Economics, finance, crisis management, management of public and private assets.

In 2016, Massimov was appointed to the KNB. From the constitutional position responsible for the economy to a key position in the executive branch’s broad power block. It seemed that the volume and content of the tasks were too much for Massimov, that he was the same survivor who considers the paylines more reliable than the rest.

However, the most important thing in a power struggle is not to overestimate yourself, not to underestimate others and not to rely on chance. No matter how much you exhange winks, in the end (it's - Ed.) every man for himself. History knows of many cases of successful coups, and even more unsuccessful ones.

The public will learn about the details of the actions for which Massimov received his sentence after the secrecy stamp is removed from the case – by a political decision or after the expiration of the statute of limitations. Will Masimov serve out his 18-year term until the end? A number of different factors can affect this. Legal, political, financial, psychological, biological and others."

Fair Punishment

Nikita Shatalov, a political scientist and a new deputy of the Mazhilis, gave his assessment of the court's decision in his Telegram channel Shatalcanal.

"Massimov was given 18 years for a proven coup attempt. His accomplices were a little more “lucky": depending on the degree of participation in the organization of the January events, they received from 3 to 16 years. This is a just punishment for an attempt on the state system and, in fact, the sovereignty of our country.

Even in the first days of the January events, it was clear that someone prepared and informed was behind them. The ease with which the militants found weapons, seized KNB departments without a fight, gaining access to arsenals, indicates the existence of a clear plan. In addition, we know about the facts of the bringing in of militants from other states, the last flight took place when the Almaty airport was already captured.

I remember well the moment of Massimov's arrest due to the effect it had on the fighting in Almaty. They immediately went into decline, having lost their leader and coordinator. The law enforcement agencies and the army began to operate normally, no one hindered them, and the president, as chairman of the Security Council, gave precise commands, and the situation changed very quickly. We almost immediately returned to normal as a state.

Massimov committed outright treason, betrayed state values. And we will certainly have to assess his influence on the country when he was Prime Minister and head of the National Security Committee. I do not exclude that, in addition to representing the interests of the "Old" Kazakhstan and a roof for kleptocrats, he was also engaged in espionage in favor of other states. Today's verdict puts an end to the investigation of the coup attempt. And it should be a lesson for all the other friends of the ex-head of the KNB.”

Discussions in Social Media

TRANSLATION:

MASIMOV WAS GIVEN 18 YEARS.

Finally, the closed military trial, which lasted more than a year, ended. All the culprits have been announced, and the crimes are arranged in a logical chain. The mass unrest of January 2022 was not a spontaneous expression of the will of the people: all the actions of the attackers were carefully planned and well organized. At the same time, the main structure ensuring the internal and external security of the country – the KNB, was inactive. This is not an accident, but a well-thought-out operation to overthrow the constitutional order, which was led by specific people, in particular the chairman of the committee Massimov. 

In those days, I was amazed when I found out that the arsenals of the National Security Committee’s "holy of Holies" had been looted. The officers of the special services did not shoot back until the last round, then shot themselves in the temple, and opened the doors of the armory filled with kalashkas (AK’s - Ed.), sniper rifles, pistols and special weapons. (Those - Ed. )Who served, took the military oath of allegiance to the Motherland know how the armory is guarded in the unit and how difficult it is to open it.

The militants then took away the weapons and ammunition. They were used to kill on the streets and still the barrels (Russian slang for weapons - Ed.) have not been found, they have not been returned.

Even then it was clear what level of betrayal this was.

The generals, led by the chairman of the KNB Karim Massimov, tried to carry out a coup d'etat. This was a large-scale, detailed operation, the purpose of which was to displace the top leadership. This is also evidenced by eyewitness accounts, which later got into the Network (Internet - Ed.). Then it became known that the former chairman of the KGB strongly advised K. Toqayev to leave the country.

Other officers from among the former leadership of the Committee are also named in the case  with Massimov: D.Ergozhin, M. Osipov, and A.Sadykulov. They also received prison sentences.

Original Author: Danil Utyupin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece, the text has been modified the content is the same. Quotes have been left unchanged, including their punctuation, aside from moments when it is possible to omit words in Russian but not English. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy.