Deputy Vows to Reveal Who Is Behind Qapchagay Land Grabs

Majilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek has promised to reveal the names of those who illegally seized land in Qapchagay, Orda.kz reports.

At his initiative, 82 plots of land in a specially protected natural area were checked. Earlier, Orda.kz reported on four of them — some belonging to Timur Kulibayev’s company, LLP Kipros.

But according to Bazarbek, there are many more.

These are all high-ranking officials of the local akimat, the akimat of the Almaty region, and law enforcement agencies. We have names. Now we are looking for the actual beneficiaries. Some plots are registered to legal entities. Timur Kulibayev and Kairat Boranbayev are not the only beneficiaries. Behind these 82 plots are many high-ranking officials,Bazarbek said on the sidelines of a joint parliamentary session.

There are many of them. Many. They are spread across the foothills of Almaty. You hear about them constantly,  the deputy noted.

For now, however, Bazarbek said he is not ready to reveal names publicly, stressing the need to have confirmation from government agencies to avoid lawsuits.

I would not like to be constantly litigating and torn away from legislative work. But this matter must be brought to its logical conclusion — these lands must be returned. Of course, these people will do everything possible to prevent that return to state ownership. They may try to put pressure on me. That is their right. Our task is to achieve justice and legality.

These plots are part of a specially protected natural area and cannot be privately owned. Yet the Qapchagay akimat has distributed all the coastal territories. The owners fenced off the plots and put up barriers,  he explained.

According to Bazarbek, courts so far have been reluctant to take decisive action.

In their rulings, courts note that the akimat’s resolutions were illegal. But they do not issue private rulings to the prosecutor’s office to initiate criminal proceedings. Often, the courts are afraid. But now we will raise this issue at the parliamentary level. I will personally monitor this to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova