Public statements by the former editor-in-chief of ORDA, Gulnar Bazhkenova, have repeatedly been the subject of public debate. Since the start of criminal proceedings, attention has also been drawn to discrepancies in her accounts of the same circumstances. FBRK has compared court documents, publications, and public statements.
A MAJOR MEDIA OUTLET OR A MICRO-ENTERPRISE?
In 2024, during a lawsuit against journalist Dmitry Shishkin, Bazhkenova's representatives referred to ORDA as a major media outlet with a large editorial team.
However, just a few weeks later, in proceedings concerning a plagiarism lawsuit by Ratel․kz, the editorial lawyer asked the court to reduce the compensation amount, stating that ORDA is a small business entity with only seven official employees, and that recovering 3.6 million tenge would be a serious blow to the company's finances.
FLIPPING OR A WAY TO PRESERVE CAPITAL?
According to Vlast.kz, on 3 July, Bazhkenova stated in court that she does not consider the resale of apartments to be entrepreneurial activity, but merely a way to preserve capital.
However, the prosecutor read out an interrogation record according to which she had previously told investigators that she was engaged in flipping - reselling apartments together with a partner - and that part of the cash found during the search was, by her own account at the time, obtained from this activity.
Later in court, Bazhkenova explained that this testimony was given under severe stress immediately after the searches and is erroneous. She also stated that in 2017 she was not yet acquainted with the person she named as her partner.
WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM?
Bazhkenova's public explanations regarding the money changed most noticeably.
In November 2025, in an interview with Elmedia Kazakhstan, she said that after her accounts were frozen, she was left without money and borrowed 500,000 tenge for everyday expenses. Meanwhile, during a search in December, it is reported that 2.93 million tenge, $58,921, and €70 were found in Bazhkenova's apartment.
On 2 July 2026, before the start of a court hearing, she told journalists that during her house arrest she was entirely financially dependent on her sister, denying the loan of 500,000 tenge.
Her explanations of the origin of the discovered money also changed later. In different periods Bazhkenova described it as personal savings, then as funds from apartment resales, later attributing her previous testimony to stress. Subsequently in court, while answering questions from the injured parties, Bazhkenova stated that around $200,000 had been given to her by an influential person.
Later, her lawyer explained that it was no longer a gift, but compensation received as part of a closed court proceeding.
PHONE IN CAT FOOD
After the first hearing in the criminal case, Bazhkenova told journalists that during the first search she hid the phone used to administer ORDA's resources in a packet of cat food. According to her, this is why a second search was conducted later, which she claimed was prompted by a 'tip-off' from the current editor-in-chief of ORDA, Anna Platonova.
Platonova, in an interview with Exclusive.kz, categorically rejected the tip-off version, stating that she was summoned to the police only after the search had already been carried out, and that decisions on investigative actions are made by the investigator, not the complainant.
At the same time, in court, Bazhkenova claimed that by hiding the phone, she was not trying to obstruct the investigation.
THE STORIES ABOUT SARA NAZARBAYEVA'S 'DEATH'
In May 2025, ORDA reported the death of Sara Nazarbayeva, citing its own sources. Despite an official denial, the editorial team did not remove the publication and released another article, continuing to refer to its sources.
According to the investigation, it is publications like these that formed the basis of eight counts of spreading knowingly false information. Furthermore, Bazhkenova is charged with episodes related to property and transfers from the editorial accounts.
