Fugitive Maksat Duissenov: What Is the Former Prosecutor and Member of Kozhamzharov’s Team Known For?

Figures from the inner circle of the former head of the Financial Police and Prosecutor General’s Office, Kairat Kozhamzharov, are now under investigation. They are being interrogated as part of a growing torture case. Investigators have now turned their attention to Maksat Duissenov.

But the former security officer anticipated this and went into hiding — he is now on the wanted list. 

Orda.kz looks back at the career of the former head of Kazakhstan’s Transport Prosecutor’s Office.

Maksat Duissenov worked in law enforcement for more than two decades. He was born on January 13, 1973, in the South Kazakhstan region. He graduated from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (1996), T. Ryskulov Kazakh Economic University (2005), and Kazakh National University (2011).

He is married, has three children, and speaks both Kazakh and Russian.

Duissenov’s career was closely tied to the financial police and anti-corruption agencies. Beginning in 1996, he served in the military prosecutor’s office before transferring to the financial police, where he rose from investigator to department head.

He worked in the Atyrau Region and Almaty, and also held posts in the central office. In the 2000s, he headed departments investigating corruption and financial crimes and served as deputy head of regional departments.

His career is strongly associated with Kairat Kozhamzharov’s team. During Kozhamzharov’s leadership of the financial police, Duissenov repeatedly held key positions and supported major cases. In 2011, he spoke to the media about detentions in the “Khorgos case,” one of the most high-profile investigations in the financial police at the time.

On February 23, 2012, Duissenov was dismissed as head of the Almaty financial police department after his subordinate was caught accepting a $30,000 bribe. At the time, the agency announced that in cases of corruption among subordinates, their leaders would automatically be removed as well.

Later, under Kozhamzharov’s tenure as Prosecutor General, Duissenov transitioned to the prosecutor’s office. After serving as deputy head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, he was appointed first deputy chief transport prosecutor, and soon became the head of that office.

In September 2018, he was appointed Chief Transport Prosecutor of Kazakhstan, but resigned in the spring of 2019 after Kozhamzharov left for the Senate.

Over his career, Duissenov was awarded the Aibyn Order, 2nd class, and the Qurmet Order, as well as jubilee and departmental medals from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Agency for Combating Economic and Corruption Crime.

Other Associates of Kozhamzharov Under Investigation

Several other associates of Kairat Kozhamzharov are defendants in the torture case: Talgat Tatubayev, Olesya Keksel, and Bauyrzhan Muzhikov.

Talgat Tatubayev, 48, originally from Qaraganda, rose from investigator to deputy head of the local police department, then moved to the capital and advanced through the financial police. He is considered a Kozhamzharov protégé, with his career moves closely tied to Kozhamzharov’s rise.

Olesya Keksel graduated from the Financial Police Academy with honors and became head of the Special Prosecutor’s Service. She led high-profile cases against senior officials. In 2019, she was investigated for torture, but the case was closed. Kozhamzharov described her as a “clean professional.”

Bauyrzhan Muzhikov is less well-known. According to Orda.kz, he was also detained in connection with the torture case. Sources link his name to the cases of Alma TV, Bank RBK, and businessman Zhomart Yertayev.

Meanwhile, media reports also mention Talgat Makhatov, described as the “wallet” of the financial police and Kozhamzharov’s confidant.

He has already received his third prison sentence within a year.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov