Massimov’s Confiscated Coins, Weapons, and Sabre Auctioned

The Company for the Management of Returned Assets (CMRA) sold another set of confiscated items from ex-KNB chief  Karim Massimov. The September 16 auction on the E-Qazyna platform included five lots: collectible coins, two daggers, a knife, and an inlaid sabre, Orda.kz reports.

The top lot was a $200 gold investment coin with Elizabeth II and a kangaroo, which climbed from 3.2 to 4.3 million tenge after competitive bidding. Silver souvenir coins depicting GAZ cars sold for 59,500 tenge.

Two Caucasian-style daggers with detailed ornamentation fetched 438,600 tenge.

A decorated sabre with enamel and bone inserts went for 385,200 tenge, and a wooden-handled knife sold for 155,200 tenge.

These represent only a fraction of the property seized from Massimov’s Astana mansion, where investigators uncovered antiques, gold, paintings, luxury goods, millions in cash, and 11 high-end cars. The mansion itself, nearly 2,900 square meters with a pool, sauna, disco bar, karaoke hall, and stage, was valued at over 1.5 billion tenge.

At a previous auction, CMRA sold 43 other items — jewelry, antiques, and collectibles — raising more than 10 million tenge for the state fund that finances social projects.

Massimov, detained in January 2022 on treason charges, was sentenced in April 2023 to 18 years in prison with confiscation of property. He later faced new charges of money laundering and large-scale bribery.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov