You Have to Be Calm and Stubborn: Peruashev Comments on Request

Orda has talked with Majilis deputy Azat Peruashev about the Aq Jol faction's parliamentary inquiry concerning the alleged raider takeovers of businesses by officials from Old Kazakhstan.

At a Majilis plenary session, Azat Peruashev voiced a request from a group of fellow party members.

In it, he urged the Prosecutor General's Office and the government to monitor the behavior of "Old Kazakhstan" officials, who reportedly take property from businesses.

The deputy cited a sanatorium that previously belonged to Bolat Nazarbayev and was then sold at auction to a group of entrepreneurs. Local officials took this property from the entrepreneurs.

Azat Turlybekovich, why did this request arise now? There have been cases of corporate raiding by government officials before.

This request did not appear now: some of the cases we included in the request were voiced earlier; we made separate requests for them last year and the year before. But now we see that from individual cases, such raiding has already turned into a practice that affects different industries and regions. 

When we generalized and saw the whole picture, we drew up a request now concerning not individual cases but the general picture formed from different cases. It must be said that the picture is very upsetting in terms of the redistribution of property and raider takeovers. 

For example, I voiced a request for a sanatorium last year. But this problem was never solved. Our colleagues voiced requests for other cases both the previous year and this year. 

What result do you expect from this request? How likely are the Prosecutor General's Office, Antikor, or law enforcement agencies to take up these cases?

— As for whether they will take up this issue or not, we certainly hope that truth will prevail and that attention will be paid to these cases. It’s like in the song about hope, where there is a line: “You have to be calm and stubborn.” If they didn’t hear it once, if they didn’t hear it via individual cases, we will systematize these questions and ask them again and again. 

In some cases, we manage to insist, and we see understanding from the Prosecutor General's Office. Antikor also sometimes reacts appropriately. In some cases related to illegal business seizure, other government agencies listen.

Our persistence must bear fruit, and the interests of honest entrepreneurs must be protected at the necessary level by those who are supposed to do this. 

You are asking the Prosecutor General's Office and the government to pay attention to government officials' illegal actions. Daniyar Adilbekov addressed a similar request to Antikor and law enforcement agencies in his posts. He was charged with making a false report, and the court sentenced him to four and a half years. Aren't you afraid of a similar outcome?

— A deputy, of course, has specific advantages; in this sense, we are more protected than journalists. 

In each such case, when entrepreneurs contact us, we do not run, "pulling our pants up," to make inquiries on each request. We have a legal service in our party that examines these issues, checks to what extent the arguments that business provides are justified, substantiated, and provable.

 From a legal point of view, we are pretty well prepared for possible disputes on this topic. What I listed in the request is only the tip of the iceberg; for each of these cases, there is good evidence that the business is right.

We are ready to participate in court hearings on the side of business if necessary. 

But it cannot be ruled out that there won't be retaliation. Some people whose interests are affected may not like this and, perhaps, take retaliatory measures. The job of a deputy is to say unpleasant things often. 

It is possible that there will be some attempts to damage my reputation or that of the party.

I periodically encounter situations where I am trolled somewhere, where they try to put me in a bad light. These are the inevitable costs of being a deputy. You have to treat this normally, be ready to prove that you are right.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya