Inside Massimov’s Mansion: Disco Bar, Karaoke, and Billiards

On February 10, Returned Assets Management Company put up for auction a house confiscated from Karim Massimov in 2022. Orda.kz reports on the luxury in which the former chairman of the National Security Committee lived.

The house is located in Astana’s Nura district, Karaotkel micro-district.

The house has two above-ground floors and a basement; its total area is 2,877.7 m², of which 347.2 m² are living quarters. The estate also includes two security checkpoints (CPs) totaling 22.3 m².

The land is divided into two plots—0.9475 and 0.2713 hectares, making a total of 1.2188 hectares. The property also features an unregistered garage and two CPs.

The starting auction price is 1,883,338,958 tenge.

Among the rooms, bathrooms, and corridors, there is a disco bar with a stage and a billiard room. On the first floor, there is a sauna, a bathhouse, a swimming pool, a changing room, and many other rooms. 

At the entrance, guests are greeted by a large chandelier and what looks like a reception desk—giving the estate the feel of a luxury hotel rather than a private home.

The surrounding area is just as extravagant. The land is planted with pine trees, and the grand entrance and driveways create the impression that the house is in Burabay rather than the windy, concrete-heavy Astana.

Among the notable possessions discovered in the mansion:

• A Bras smoothie machine
• A bar counter with an artificial stone countertop
• A home theater and karaoke system with microphones (Massimov was known for his love of singing)

• 27 coffee tables, 27 paintings, 9 chandeliers, 36 lamps and one disco ball for light shows, 64 spotlights, 16 billiard tables
• A Yamaha grand piano worth nearly 8 million tenge
• A large silver letter "C" on a black and dark green artificial stone stand
• A collection of military uniforms neatly arranged in the wardrobe
• Various figurines, vases, watches, souvenirs, furniture, and household appliances

Massimov was also revealed to be a collector of luxury pens, collectible coins, and antique weapons, including sabers, daggers, knives, axes, and even katanas.

The house itself was valued at 631 million tenge, and the land plot at 893.5 million. The total came to 1.5 billion tenge.

While searching Massimov’s house, authorities seized $17.2 million in cash, luxury watches, gold bars, antiques, and 11 high-end business-class cars. 

Authorities also seized Massimov's property, including two luxury apartments in Astana, two apartments and a mansion in Almaty, and a one-hectare plot of land on the shore of a lake in the Shchuchinsk-Burabay resort area.

In January 2022, Massimov was arrested on charges of treason. By April 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison with property confiscation.

In November 2023, a new criminal case was opened against him for money laundering and large-scale bribery.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov