Prosecutors Remove Release About Assistance to EkibastuzFerroAlloys Linked to Nigmatulin
Photo: Press Service of the Pavlodar Region Akimat
The Pavlodar Regional Prosecutor’s Office suddenly removed from its website a press release describing how it had spent four years helping launch the EkibastuzFerroAlloys plant, Orda.kz reports.
In the release, prosecutors emphasized that they had supported the project across almost all areas — from securing grants to bringing in foreign labor. All of this, the statement said, helped launch the plant, create jobs, and attract 92 billion tenge in investments.
But the announcement was suddenly taken down from the government agency’s website (a screenshot is attached below). We attempted to find out why. The regional prosecutor’s office did not respond to phone calls or messages.
The plant, incidentally, was built using a loan from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. It sounds far less celebratory when recalling how President Toqayev called the DBK “a personal bank for a select circle” and demanded a complete overhaul of its work.
Large projects too often receive special conditions, while resources, according to the president, are diverted away from SMEs in favor of people known by name.
Unlike the prosecutor’s office, the akimat did not delete its release. Local authorities say that thanks to Nigmatulin’s plant, Kazakhstan is on the verge of entering the global top producers of ferrosilicon, and the region itself could soon join the ranks of donor regions.
Meanwhile, EkibastuzFerroAlloys shareholder Yerlan Nigmatulin is a figure in a criminal extortion case.
The General Prosecutor’s Office officially confirmed to Orda.kz that the investigation was opened based on a statement from businessman Ramis Ibragimov. He claims he became the target of raider pressure. Allegedly, he was forced to hand over to Nigmatulin his transport business that worked with Kazakhmys.
Meanwhile, the elder brother, Argyn Nigmatulin, has been placed on an international wanted list. He is suspected of embezzling budget funds allocated for the development of hockey in the Qaraganda region.
Separately, the case involving the former speaker’s son — Nurzhan Nurlanov — has been mentioned in an investigation. For now, it has been suspended. Investigators are waiting for a response to an international inquiry.
Original Author: Zarina Faizulina
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