Who Now Owns Part of Island Once Linked to the Nazarbayev Brothers?

The Green Island in the middle of the Ishim River in the Yesil district of Astana belonged almost entirely to the Nazarbayev brothers, Nursultan and Bolat, for the past 20 years.

Back in 2007, the city Akimat granted part of the land to Nursultan Nazarbayev, who later transferred a portion to his brother Bolat.

In early January 2022, just weeks after the Qantar, Nursultan passed his share to his son Tauman, while Bolat did the same, handing over his plots to his children Nurbol and Kunduz. Now, these plots have officially changed hands again. An Orda.kz journalist sorted out the cadastral jungle of the Nazarbayev family's holdings.

Since the early 2010s, the island has been tightly guarded. Police posts block both access roads — one from the left bank, and one from the right, where access is limited to a select few. Most of the island is hidden behind tall fences, enclosing lavish mansions, a helipad, and even a private mini-forest.

According to the public cadastral map, another section of the island — one not held by the Nazarbayevs — was previously registered to the Presidential Property Management Department of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As Orda.kz discovered by reviewing public cadastral data, the plots once registered under Kunduz and Nurbol Nazarbayev are now owned by Smart Investment LLP.

This company was established by the Baitau Private Development Fund, which is part of the network of foundations linked to Nursultan Nazarbayev himself. The legal address of Smart Investment LLP is the same place as the office of the ex-President – the Library of the First President in Astana.

According to the public cadastral map, the rest of the island is now registered to a private individual whose identity isn't disclosed, but there’s little reason to believe it isn’t Tauman.

A portion of the island that once belonged to the Presidential Property Management Department has vanished from the cadastral records.

Previously, the eastern section of the island had a visible cadastral number and was listed under the presidential administration. Now, that plot isn’t marked on the map at all — its ownership is completely unclear.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov