Former Kazakh Prosecutor General Kairat Kozhamzharov Spotted in Moscow

Journalists have filmed Kairat Kozhamzharov, the former head of the financial police and former Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, in Moscow, Orda.kz reports.

He has long been unable to return home due to being wanted and under criminal investigation.

Elmedia recently published photos showing Kozhamzharov living a calm, comfortable life in the Russian capital: meeting children at an elite classical gymnasium at VSUYU, riding the metro, and dining at an upscale restaurant.

Meanwhile, the pre-trial investigation continues in Kazakhstan. Kozhamzharov is accused of abuse of office and money laundering — charges that could carry up to 11 years in prison with asset confiscation. He remains outside the country, and Kazakh authorities have not commented on the possibility of his extradition.

The investigation extends beyond Kozhamzharov himself. In summer 2025, his protégé, Talgat Tatubayev, was arrested. Former special prosecutor Olesya Keksel was named a suspect, and in September, authorities announced the arrest of another associate, Maksat Duissenov.

Case files reportedly include evidence of torture and pressure on defendants in the “Khorgos case,” a period during which Kozhamzharov cultivated a reputation as a “tough general” with sweeping authority.

Kozhamzharov was last seen publicly in Kazakhstan in November 2023 at Bolat Nazarbayev’s funeral. He had long been considered “untouchable,” a status attributed to compromising materials on the political elite and his influential connections — including having studied alongside Dmitry Medvedev in Leningrad.

Investigators are now seeking to reach the top of what they describe as a long-standing hierarchy through testimony from his former associates.

Whether Kozhamzharov himself will ever be extradited remains unclear.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva