FMA Officers Detained Journalist Mikhail Kozachkov

He is suspected of complicity with Yeldos Kospayev's organized criminal group.

“Kospayev and his accomplices were well aware that the seizure of companies from well-known entrepreneurs would cause a negative public outcry and this could thwart their criminal plans. That is why Kospayev used the services of Kozachkov in order to carry out information attacks on the victims of raider seizures.

In turn, Kozachkov attracted his friend Zhanseitov Burkhan, who had many years of experience in law enforcement agencies, to assist the organized criminal group for a generous reward. The latter, through his connections, collected compromising information for the needs of the organized crime group, including for subsequent publication,"

FMA

Zhanseitov also reportedly helped Kozachkov to moderate his telegram channel. He namely created public opinion by posting comments on the journalist's publications together with other members of the organized criminal group. At the same time, objectionable comments and users were deleted.

“Today, the investigation has proved that Zhanseitov and Kozachkov received 52 million KZT from active members of the organized criminal group for fulfilling their role.

Being privy to the criminal plans for the raider seizure of a share in the Esentai City project owned by Saule Dzhunusbekova (the mother of the convicted businessman Almas Abdygapparov), Kozachkov published a number of articles discrediting her son,"

FMA

At the same time, the report says that the journalist grossly violated the requirements of the Law “On Mass Media”, as in some cases he disseminated knowingly false information, as well as data related to banking, family and other secrets protected by law.

"In April of this year, the businessman Azim Abdullayev addressed the public about the raider seizure of a plant for the production of glass containers by a member of Kospayev's organized criminal group - Shalin Ruslan, who tried to remove the legitimate owner from management. According to the already established scheme, acting in the interests of the organized criminal group, Kozachkov published a number of articles discrediting the owner of the plant in the eyes of the public."

FMA

At the same time, deliberately false information was spread about the poisoning of residents of the Almaty region with alcoholic products and the alleged involvement of the injured businessman in a premeditated murder.

In early July 2022, members of Kospayev’s organized crime group learned through their sources in law enforcement agencies that financial monitoring agencies were taking investigative and operational measures to expose their criminal activities.

“Fearing criminal liability for the crimes committed, members of the organized crime group Tanashev, Shalin, Kospayev Aidos, with the participation of Kozachkov and Zhanseitov, coordinated by Kospayev Yeldos, developed a plan to discredit the investigating body and obstruct its work.

On July 12 of this year, in Almaty, Zhanseitov blocked a car with operational officers who were monitoring an active member of the organized crime group, Kospayev Aidos,"

FMA

FMA clarifies that, according to a pre-worked out scenario, lawyers and Kozachkov arrived at the scene and began to spread deliberately false information to the public about the allegedly exposed surveillance of the defenders.

Although using billing and surveillance cameras, it was reliably established that the operational car did not cross at all along the route with the lawyers either this or the previous few days.

"Kozachkov not only covered the situation with the distortion of factual data in the interests of the organized crime group but also coordinated their actions on the spot and allowed Kospayev Aidos to escape from surveillance. As a result, the latter was put on the wanted list.

As previously reported, feeling permissiveness and openly violating the law, Zhanseitov committed hooligan acts and deliberately inflicted bodily harm on a law enforcement officer.

In addition, a criminal case is being investigated against Kozachkov and other persons on the facts of illegal collection and dissemination of information constituting state secrets."

FMA

Currently, the investigation is ongoing and the involvement of members of Kospayev's organized crime group in the commission of other crimes is being checked.

Original Author: Victoria Ilyina