Kazakhstan's Asset Recovery Committee Uninvolved in Swiss Probe of Nazarbayev's Daughter

Kazakhstan's Asset Recovery Committee is not involved in Switzerland's investigation of Dinara Kulibayeva's real estate purchases, Orda reports. 

The committee, operating under Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office, confirmed no communication between Swiss and Kazakh authorities regarding these transactions.

The Prosecutor General's Office confirmed this in an official inquiry for Orda.

To date, no requests have been received by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan regarding verification of the legality of the origin of Dinara Kulibayeva's assets, and no requests have been sent by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Swiss Confederation, the department's response states.

The committee also noted that asset recovery information is classified as "limited distribution."

The committee's statement doesn't necessarily preclude the possibility that other Kazakh authorities contacted Swiss officials or that banking institutions initiated the investigation.

The context gains further significance, considering a November 2024 agreement between Kazakhstan and Switzerland on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases and asset recovery. This framework enables prosecutors from both countries to share information about suspicious transactions.

The investigation centers on Dinara Kulibayeva's Geneva property acquisitions between August 2019 and July 2020, totaling 126 million francs, including the historic Château de Bellerive.

Kulibayeva is the daughter of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and wife of businessman Timur Kulibayev.

Recent reports reveal that Geneva prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into these transactions after REYL Intesa Sanpaolo bank raised concerns about the funds' origins.

The timing of these concerns, emerging five years after the transactions, coincides with scrutiny of Timur Kulibayev by Kazakhstan's asset recovery committee.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny