Qaraganda Court Orders Return of Illegally Privatized Lenin Cinema to State Ownership

The Regional Court's Appeals Board has made a final ruling in the case of Qaraganda's Lenin Cinema, which was illegally privatized, reports Orda.kz.

The cinema's history spans decades.

In 1998, it was added to Qaraganda's registry of historical and cultural monuments.

However, just a year later, in October 1999, the building was removed from this list by then-city mayor Mazhit Yessenbayev.

The official immediately sold the property for 1.2 million tenge to a private company owned by his brother and nephew.

After stripping the cinema of its protected status, he was promoted to Minister of Finance.

Under former Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Yessenbayev held several high-ranking government positions: he served as Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, headed the Competition Protection Agency, and led the Customs Control Committee.

From 2003 to 2004, he also worked as Nazarbayev's assistant.

In 2024, the prosecutor's office investigated the legality of the transaction and ultimately uncovered violations.

This led to a lawsuit.

The Kazybek Bi District Prosecutor's Office conducted complex and lengthy work to prove the illegality of the privatization in court. The trial lasted several months. The court has ruled that the cinema should be returned to state ownership,the supervisory authority commented.

Original Author: Aliya Askarova