Trial Begins in Astana Over Fraud Case Involving Relative of Kuandyk Bishimbayev

On November 3, a court investigation began in Astana in the case of Bekzat Kemelova, a distant relative of the Bishimbayev family.

She has been accused of fraud by Kuandyk Bishimbayev’s mother, Orda.kz reports.

Conceal The Cash

According to the report, Bishimbayev’s mother, Almira Nurlybekova, admitted that she had wanted to conceal money from the Anti-Corruption Agency. This version of events became the basis for the charges against her relative, Bekzat Kemelova.

The Kemelova trial has now started in Astana, with many of the same people who attended the Bishimbayev proceedings present in court. The defendant is represented by lawyer Igor Vranchev, who previously represented the injured party in Bishimbayev’s trial.

Almira Nurlybekova’s interests are represented by Erlan Gazymzhanov, who defended Kuandyk Bishimbayev.

This is the second trial in the case. The criminal case was filed on September 9. Initially, one judge presided over the proceedings and held preliminary hearings, but due to personal reasons, was unable to continue. 

The case was then transferred to another judge, Nazgul Bapakova, and the trial began anew.

The indictment was read by Nura District Prosecutor Gulmira Abdrakhmanova. Investigators allege that Bekzat Kemelova, the wife of Bishimbayev’s second cousin, devised a plan after Kuandyk Bishimbayev’s arrest for killing Saltanat Nukenova on November 9, 2023. She allegedly knew that Bishimbayev’s mother kept one million dollars at home and wanted to take possession of it. 

Kemelova reportedly visited the Bishimbayev home, offering moral support to Almira Nurlybekova.

According to investigators, Nurlybekova had previously entrusted valuables to her relative for safekeeping. This time, after being told that the family was under surveillance by the Anti-Corruption Agency, she decided to hide the money.

Nurlybekova was misled; she believed Kemelova's words and began to consider hiding the money. Kemelova convinced Nurlybekova that the only sure way to hide the money was to hand it over to her. In December 2023, Nurlybekova placed $990,000 in a blue suitcase and handed it over to Kemelova,
 said the state prosecutor.

The indictment states that Bekzat Kemelova then embezzled the money and disposed of it at her discretion — an amount equivalent to 453,182,400 tenge. She is charged under Article 190, Part 4, Clause 2 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code: “Fraud on an especially large scale.”

Not Being “Bailed Out”

The defense, however, presents a completely different account. According to lawyer Igor Vranchev, the case is simply an act of revenge by the Bishimbayev family.

A conflict arose between the Kemelov and Bishimbayev families. The reason was that my client's husband, a former forensic expert, refused to help the Bishimbayev family obtain the necessary expert examination results for the murder of Saltanat Nukenova. They wanted to frame the matter so that Kuandyk Bishimbayev would avoid criminal liability,
 the lawyer said.

During the pre-trial stage, we named those who knew about this conflict and could corroborate our arguments. But this version was not considered by the pre-trial investigation at all. Therefore, we believe that this trial will shed light on what the Bishimbayevs attempted to do to deflect responsibility for their son,
 he added.

The trial will resume on November 13. The judge announced that the prosecution has 11 witnesses so far, out of approximately 20 in total.

Former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev was sentenced on May 13, 2024, to 24 years in a maximum-security penal colony for the abuse and killing of his partner, Saltanat Nukenova.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya