Not long ago, the Telegram channel Nursultan Nightingale wrote about an alleged corrupt link between the Minister of Digital Development Bagdat Musin and the Chairman of the Board and member of the Board of Directors of JSC Kazakhtelecom, Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, former Russian oligarch and now citizen of Kazakhstan - Timur Turlov, as well as other high-ranking individuals.
Against the backdrop of ongoing events in the country in the field of digitalisation, we decided to focus on the figure of the permanent Chairman of the Board of JSC Kazakhtelecom, Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev. It was reported that Musin, at least since 2020, has been directly subordinate to Yessekeyev, is part of his inner circle, and effectively receives not only an official salary from the ministry, but also funds directly from the head of Kazakhtelecom himself.
Meanwhile, FBRK sources reported that Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev has recently developed serious health problems; despite this, he is in no hurry to leave his post as head of JSC Kazakhtelecom. But why would Yessekeyev continue to lead the telecommunications company when his own health is at stake? According to our sources, Yessekeyev has personal goals and is waiting for some very significant event for himself.
Currently, a number of large-scale projects are being implemented in Kazakhstan, one of which is the construction of a 5G network, which will be carried out by a consortium of operators: LLP MTS and JSC Kcell. As the media wrote, the Ministry of Digital Development is currently preparing a deal to sell one of the subsidiaries of JSC Kazakhtelecom, namely one of the three largest mobile operators in Kazakhstan.
According to journalists, Timur Turlov, who intends to work in the 5G standard, will be sold only one of the mobile operators, most likely the Kcell brand, which is part of JSC Kcell, which holds 5G frequencies. Nursolovey reported that the deal to sell the mobile operator is estimated at around $100 million and will be completed in the coming months, before Musin loses his ministerial post. After which Musin will get about $5 million, Yessekeyev will receive compensation of $500 million, and Turlov will get the Kcell brand.
It is worth noting that the Nursultan Nightingale channel in its article remained silent about another person who could act as a beneficiary of this deal. As follows from the biography of Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, he graduated from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with a degree in Applied Mathematics in 1995. A year earlier, the current Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov received the same education at KazNU.
According to our sources, Yessekeyev's share is estimated to have been no more than $50 million, not $500 million, as Nursolovey wrote (which is possibly simply a typo). Our sources also confirmed the assumption that Yessekeyev would remain in the post of head of Kazakhtelecom until the autumn of this year, after which he would most likely leave the country. There was information that Yessekeyev had already prepared a convenient place for himself outside of Kazakhstan with the support of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who allegedly helped create the Department of Digitalisation in the EAEU in Moscow.
Now, according to our information, the situation has changed: it is reported that Bagdat Musin was outraged that Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev wanted to give him only $5 million, while he himself would have received 10 times more. Additionally, rumours have emerged about the cancellation of Yessekeyev's transfer to a 'cosy spot' in the Department of Digitalisation in the EAEU in Moscow.
In connection with the latest events, it is still unknown what share of the deal the Minister of Digitalisation, Bagdat Musin, will receive, or if he will receive anything at all. We also do not know how the future activities of Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev will now unfold. The FBRK editorial team is monitoring the situation and will keep readers updated on new details.