Company Linked to Nazarbayev’s Sister Convicted in Smuggling Case

The company imported over a hundred containers into the country while bypassing customs procedures. The damage is estimated at 10 billion tenge, Orda.kz reports.

The Almaly District Court of Almaty has delivered a guilty verdict in a case involving the smuggling of goods from China and the mass issuance of fictitious invoices. The criminal proceedings concern the company LLP "Group of Companies TDA", linked to Anipa Nazarbayeva, the younger sister of Kazakhstan’s first President.

According to the Financial Monitoring Agency, the company, which held the status of an authorized economic operator, brought more than 100 containers of consumer goods into Kazakhstan, evading customs control.

The scheme involved ten affiliated LLPs, through which fictitious invoices were issued. The total loss to the state from unpaid VAT, corporate income tax, and customs duties reached 10 billion tenge.

During the investigation, it was possible to partially compensate for the damage - 643 million tenge were reimbursed. The court also sanctioned the seizure of the property of the defendants: goods worth 1.3 billion tenge, as well as land, cars and other property - another 300 million. Another 47 debtor companies voluntarily refused fictitious mutual settlements and paid 240 million tenge in taxes to the budget,
 FMA reported.

The defendants received prison sentences ranging from 1.4 to 4.6 years, along with confiscation of property. One individual involved in the case has been placed on the international wanted list.

Group of Companies TDA LLP is connected to Anipa Nazarbayeva and her business associate, Ali Klyshpayev. 

The company has repeatedly changed its ownership, name, and legal address, but has been operated by Nazarbayeva and her partner since 2018. 

Public records also show that Nazarbayeva and Klyshpayev have jointly owned other companies involved in trade and logistics. Despite this, Anipa Nazarbayeva has consistently avoided public attention, and her residence in Shamalgan is located across from the former President’s family estate.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov