Three Fathers and One Khorgos: How Bolat Nazarbayev’s Grandson Stays in The Clan’s Shadow

In a previous article, we suggested that Nursain Yespolov may have been trying to align himself with the Nazarbayev family. As it turns out, we were wrong — Nursain didn’t try to join the family from the outside.

He has every legal right to the famous surname. It’s simple: his mother is Gulmira Nazarbayeva (also known as Abisheva or Bayzakova), the daughter of Bolat Nazarbayev, a former judge and successful businesswoman.

Through his mother, Nursain is indeed related to the Elbasy’s extended family, though part of its younger branch. Orda.kz investigates this lesser-known branch of the Nazarbayev clan in its full report.

Grandson, Son, Stepson — and a Father

Nursain received the surname Yespolov after his mother married Aidos Yespolov (now her ex-husband), who adopted him. Nothing is currently known about his biological father. It’s possible that Gulmira’s former surname, Abisheva, could be connected to Nursain’s father, but we are unable to verify such a claim.

She may also have taken her grandfather’s surname, as per tradition.

Interestingly, academician Tlektes Yespolov is linked to the Nazarbayev family twice — through both his daughter and his son, he has ties to the living and deceased Nazarbayev brothers. Gulmira Nazarbayeva and Aidos Yespolov also share a son, Nurbolat Yespolov, who was mentioned in our earlier article. It was through him that we were able to trace the family connection.

Now, both Nursain and Nurbolat have a new stepfather, who is also the biological father of their younger half-brother. That man is Alpamys Bayzakov, a young husband almost 17 years younger than their mother and just a few years older than Nursain himself.

According to the Telegram channel “Vykhod k moryu,” Bayzakov is linked to microloan businesses and has a debt of 1.5 million tenge.

Records also show he has unpaid taxes totaling 59,000 tenge.

Gulmira Nazarbayeva and Alpamys Bayzakov were officially married in 2021, and in 2022, they had a child together — likely a boy. Bayzakov now runs his own business: a restaurant named JarJar GB, with the name incorporating his wife's initials.

Previously, other companies associated with Gulmira also used her initials, indicating she likely played a role in setting up the business.

The restaurant has since been renamed Lemon and appears to focus on oriental cuisine. It is registered in Kaskelen, located in the Almaty region — the Nazarbayev family's ancestral homeland.

The official business activity is listed as property rental and management. Orda.kz journalists plan to visit the restaurant soon.

It’s possible that in 2017, Bayzakov worked as an officer with the Almaty Department of Internal Affairs. His name appears in connection with delivering a subpoena to Rinat Isagaliyev, an employee of the public organization “Qadyr Qasiet.”

Bayzakov also has a history of traffic violations, with two court appearances related to driving offenses. In 2020, he faced administrative charges under Article 610 of Kazakhstan’s Code of Administrative Offenses for violating traffic rules, resulting in harm to health and damage to property.

He was fined. In 2021, he appeared in court again under Article 590, related to improper vehicle operation. Both cases were handled by the specialized inter-district administrative court in Almaty.

On July 23, Gulmira Bolatovna celebrated her birthday. According to the Telegram channel “Letter to the President,” guests included singer Shamkhan Daldayev, Alatau District Police Deputy Chief Asset Kopeshbayev, officer Samat Beristemov, Almaty judge Saida Bolat, the wife of the Deputy Akim of Jambyl District in Almaty Region, and other notable figures.

As for Nursain himself — like his mother — he hasn’t been fortunate in family matters. In the spring of 2021, he divorced his wife, Dana Nazarbayeva. The divorce process took just over a month, despite jointly acquired property and two daughters, born in 2016 and 2017.

Judge Rolland Duisenbiyev handled the case swiftly and efficiently, apparently deciding the couple did not need additional time to reconcile. What led to such a quick divorce?

We were able to link Nursain’s ex-wife through her brother, Yerik Dias. He had previously done business with his brother-in-law, as noted in our earlier article.

It turns out that Yerik and Dana are the children of the late businessman Yerik Kaiyrbekov — a name likely still familiar to residents of Taraz and the Almaty region, as his company, “NPTC SNS GROUP” LLP, was actively involved in residential construction there.

Kaiyrbekov passed away in 2011, leaving his construction empire to his ex-wife and children, who now use the surname Shayakhmet.

Along with the inheritance, they also assumed responsibility for the business’s debts, which the family has since settled.

Khorgos, Courts, and Noorway

The Nazarbayevs don’t seem to have much luck in business — or rather, their business ventures often end up in odd situations. The company Noorway, jointly run by brothers Nurbolat and Nursain, was no exception.

We mentioned it briefly in a previous article, but it now warrants closer attention.

The brothers registered the company in 2020 in Almaty. Officially, it is listed as a wholesaler of miscellaneous food products. But tax records show the company actively purchased goods from China, importing them via Khorgos. 2020 was its most profitable year.

Khorgos has long held a special appeal for members of the Nazarbayev family. Bolat Nazarbayev himself owned a significant portion of the business interests in the zone.

In 2022, it emerged that from 2019 to 2021, several import companies systematically undervalued goods in customs declarations to reduce taxes and duties. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the market was essentially monopolized — each company handled a specific type of product (such as footwear, electronics, or fruit) and focused on a particular region of the country.

Authorities believe the evidence points to a coordinated smuggling scheme.

Among the companies named in the case was TDA Group, linked to the former president’s sister, Anipa Nazarbayeva. The company’s director, Ali Klyshpayev, was arrested and charged with smuggling and document forgery. Damages were estimated at 287 million tenge.

Other implicated companies included Tex Alliance, Almobi Group, Express Keden Service, Global Logistics Ved, Ai-To Progress, and TL NIKA Keden. Some of these were also reportedly linked to Bolat Nazarbayev’s circle. Many were registered under unknown individuals, and some, like Ai-To Progress, were quickly deregistered.

Nursain also operated within the Khorgos economic zone, but no charges have been brought against his company. Today, both the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Revenue Committee redirect all inquiries to the Financial Monitoring Agency.

The Prosecutor’s Office advised us to consult their database, but it only contains data from 2021 onward.

Meanwhile, Noorway’s peak year remained 2020, when it paid over 71 million tenge in taxes. For comparison, between 2021 and 2024, the company paid just over 16 million tenge in total.

According to data we’re currently verifying, the company may not have imported food at all, but rather a wide range of unrelated goods — including shovels, saws, and screwdrivers.

In some cases, documentation listed imports worth over $60,000.

The nature of these transactions remains unclear.

In 2021, Noorway was involved in a curious court case — one that even Nursain’s family ties couldn’t help him win.

At the time, Nursain — then using the surname Tlektes — sold a 100% stake in Noorway to a man named Mikhail Sushchikh. The deal was notarized, and the state corporation “Government for Citizens” formally registered the new owner and company director.

Later, however, Sushchikh claimed he had no idea he had ever acquired the company. In court, he testified that he had never signed any documents, had never managed the company, and had nothing to do with it. The person listed as the new director said the same — that he had no idea he’d been registered as such.

The tax authorities also discovered that Noorway was not operating at its registered address and had no real business activity.

As a result, the State Revenue Department for the Almaly District of Almaty filed suit, asking the court to nullify the transaction on the grounds that it was fictitious.

In April 2024, the court fully sided with the tax authorities, voided the sale, and canceled the company’s re-registration. Nursain later appealed, but on June 25, the Almaty City Court upheld the ruling. The decision is now legally binding.

We will continue to report on lesser-known branches of the Nazarbayev family and their close associates in upcoming articles.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov