Journalist Mikhail Kozachkov reported that American publication NewsBreak published an article about alleged corruption in the company Tengizchevroil (TCO) — an international consortium involved in oil extraction at the Tengiz field. Shortly after publication, the article was removed from the website.
In his Telegram channel Kozachkov offside the journalist wrote that the piece mentioned company employees allegedly involved in "suspicious tenders". The text included the names of American John Rigby and Kazakh businessman Ibrahim Akdrashev.
"As I understand it, as a result of the scheming, some sweet contract went not to the most worthy supplier, but to the most compliant one," Kozachkov wrote.
The journalist also noted that some TCO employees had contacted US law enforcement. Under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, American citizens and companies can be held liable for corrupt actions committed outside the country.
After publishing the post, Kozachkov reported that he had received a link to another article about John Rigby — a TCO employee living in Atyrau and known for singing a song in the Kazakh language.
According to the NewsBreak article, a certain John Rigby from TCO was allegedly involved in receiving a kickback of $1 million (536.2 million tenge) from a Kazakh company for helping it win a tender. This information has not been officially confirmed. Subsequently, the NewsBreak editorial team also removed this article. The reasons for the removal have not been disclosed.