Maksat Ganiyev, who owns 70% of the media project ORDA, has announced his intention to take measures to remove the editor-in-chief Gulnara Bazhkenova from leading the portal. The businessman explained his decision by recent publications in the outlet which contained inaccurate information, later officially refuted by state bodies.
According to some media outlets, the co-founder of the publication is on a business trip, but intends to return to Almaty to resolve the corporate conflict within the legal framework. Ganiyev stressed that all his previous attempts to resolve disagreements with the minority partner peacefully were unsuccessful.
"There was an agreement that I would finance the media project in the initial stages and not interfere in 'Orda's' editorial policy. But year after year, I simply continued to invest money, and in return received nothing but trouble and losses," the businessman explained his position.
According to Ganiyev, the conflict began to escalate in the spring of this year. Despite attempts to negotiate through lawyers and find compromise solutions, the situation continued to worsen. The majority owner claims that his attempts to audit the company's activities also yielded no results.
It should be recalled that on 4 September, information allegedly about the detention of senior officials of the National Security Committee, Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, and businessman Haji Hajiyev appeared on resources linked to Gulnara Bazhkenova.
However, this information was officially refuted by several state agencies. On 5 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs additionally published photographs of Nurtleu, confirming the baselessness of the version regarding his detention.
"Blatant fakes, supplemented by fabrications even after official denials, clearly show her unwillingness to engage in dialogue," Ganiyev commented on the situation.
The businessman also expressed doubts about the soundness of his partner's actions, suggesting that she may require qualified help from specialists. In this regard, the majority owner announced his intention to contact law enforcement agencies with an official statement through his lawyers. He demands an objective assessment of the editor-in-chief's actions from the relevant bodies.
In Maksat Ganiyev's opinion, the current situation is damaging the reputation of the entire editorial board and the publication's staff. The businessman stressed that he intends to act strictly within the legal framework, despite the accumulated grievances.
The conflict within one of Kazakhstan's influential media resources is unfolding against the backdrop of broader discussions about standards of journalistic ethics and the responsibility of the media for disseminating inaccurate information. The question of how the corporate dispute at ORDA will be resolved could prove significant for the country's media industry.