The FBRK editorial team continues to analyse the dynamics of Kazakhstan's largest land users in order to find out how much land has been withdrawn from them recently.
Earlier we published part of the land users of Akmola Region and concluded that there have been no particular changes in the land areas of the large landowners, and some have even acquired more hectares of land.
Let us remind you that complaints are coming in en masse from various regions that land is being taken away from small and medium-sized farms, while the work should have been aimed at taking land from the large landowners.
In this article, we will continue to look at land users in Akmola Region.
ZARECHNY LLP
Zarechny LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production), occupying approximately 33,300 hectares of share land in the Esil District of Akmola Region, was registered in 1997. The first director is Ualikhan Aripov. The LLP has over 330 shareholders.
Aripov is also a participant in such companies as Tarlan-2020 LLP, US Agro LLP, US-Monolit LLP, Arip-Agro LLP, Kara-Ingen LLP, Amik-TNK LLP and the Zarechnoye-2017 Agricultural Cooperative.
The company has a medium risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid 365.8 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 145.9 million tenge, in 2021 – 191.1 million tenge, in 2020 – 110.5 million tenge).
In 2019, Poltavka-2 LLP filed a lawsuit to invalidate the deed of gift of a share in the LLP's authorised capital concluded between a certain A. Nesterenko and Aripov. From the court documents it is known that Nesterenko, being the founder of a 0.34% share (conditional land share) in Poltavka-2 LLP, transferred her share in the partnership's authorised capital to Aripov under the agreement. The court declared this transaction invalid.
SHANYRAK R LLP
Shanyrak R LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production) was registered in 2003. The first director and founder is Uali Rakhmetov, co-founders: Svetlana Rakhmetova, Elena Gosarchuk. Uali and Svetlana Rakhmetov are also participants in the agricultural production cooperative "Ak Shanyrak".
The company has a medium risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid 187.6 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 124.7 million tenge, in 2021 – 200.2 million tenge, in 2020 – 107.9 million tenge).
In June 2017, Shanyrak R LLP received a fine of 25 MCI (57,000 tenge) for construction work on warehouses on its plot without notifying the competent authorities. In February 2019, the company received a fine of 200 MCI amounting to 505,000 tenge for non-compliance with a number of fire safety requirements. In June 2022, the LLP was fined 430,000 tenge for failure to comply with an order to carry out necessary plant quarantine measures.
In 2015, it became known that in Akmola Region, members of the land commission, namely the deputy akim of the Esil District, the head of the district territorial inspectorate and the head of the district entrepreneurship department, during a competition made unlawful decisions to transfer two land plots of 348 hectares and 1,459.3 hectares into the long-term use of Shanyrak-R LLP.
It turned out that the owner of Shanyrak-R LLP, Uali Rakhmetov, is the own brother of the akim of Esil District, which could not have failed to influence the decision-making during the competition. All three officials were dismissed from their positions, and later the akim of Esil District also resigned of his own accord.
SEPE-2012 LLP
Sepe-2012 LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production) was registered in 2012. The first director is Abai Saberlinov, founders: Omarkhan Sakhanov and Sepe-1 LLP, owned by Galymzhan Sakhanov.
Sepe-2012 LLP has a medium risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid 123.4 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 169 million tenge, in 2021 – 56 million tenge, in 2020 – 54.7 million tenge). The LLP has about 25 court cases.
AGROFIRM RODINA LLP
Agrofirm Rodina LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production), occupying approximately 32,800 hectares of share land in the Tselinograd District of Akmola Region, was registered in 2005. The General Director of the agrofirm is Ivan Sauer. The company has over 350 shareholders.
Agrofirm Rodina LLP has a low risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the agrofirm paid 981 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 902.9 million tenge, in 2021 – 570.3 million tenge, in 2020 – 439.7 million tenge).
Ivan Sauer also owns Astana-Nan LLP, Zhaken-1 LLP, Tastak LLP, AF-Otan LLP, the Republican Public Association "Tayelsiz Qazaqstannyn Halyq Batyrlary" and is a member of the NGO "Club of Graduates of KazATU named after S. Seifullin".
Furthermore, he is a member of the board of JSC "NC "Food Contract Corporation", a member of the board of trustees of the "Qazaqstan Khalqyna" Fund and an affiliated person of NJSC "National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Centre".
It is known that Ivan Sauer created a unique village on the site of a former state farm after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which became famous in Kazakhstan for its practically ideal living conditions. However, not so long ago, information appeared in the media about Ivan Sauer's questionable treatment of his former close associates.
According to media reports, until 2012, Vladimir Mozheiko worked for almost 20 years as the chief engineer of Agrofirm Rodina LLP and helped Ivan Sauer build up the dairy farm. In 2012, he received a reprimand regarding poor preparation for spring harrowing and wrote a letter of resignation of his own accord.
Vladimir Mozheiko's wife worked for the local public utility company subordinate to the agrofirm, and his son worked for an LLP independent of the Rodina agrofirm that deals with the procurement of agricultural machinery. It is known that Ivan Sauer is the absolute master of the village of Rodina, which he built himself.
The Mozheiko family was forced to vacate their service apartment immediately after the head of the family was dismissed; however, in the same village they owned their own plot of land with an unfinished house. As journalists note, after the dismissal of the former chief engineer, his house was disconnected from water and electricity, the access road to it was dug up under the pretext of repairing the heating main, and in winter snow was dumped there from all surrounding areas.
Mozheiko's appeals for help to deputies and akims yielded no results. Furthermore, it is reported that Ivan Sauer's side filed a series of complaints against the Mozheiko family, first accusing them of fraud, and later of theft, but all checks proved the absence of any corpus delicti. Tired of the constant attacks, Vladimir Mozheiko filed a countersuit regarding knowingly false denunciation.
Now, as the media notes, ten years later, history is repeating itself, but this time with Sauer's former partner and co-founder of Astana-Nan LLP, Boris Tsoktoev. In 1999, together with Marat Sarsembayev, he founded a company for the production and sale of plant protection products from scratch.
In 2004, Ivan Sauer joined them. Each got 33.33%, and the main package, with a difference of 0.1%, went to Sarsembayev as the main founder. In 2019, Sauer replaced the accounting staff and the director with 'his own' people, creating a security service in the company.
It is also reported that Sauer forced Tsoktoev to resign, 'donate' a 3.33% share by threatening him with criminal prosecution, and then sell the remaining 30% in Astana-Nan LLP for 750 million tenge. When dividing the company's stake between the remaining two founders, the controlling stake ended up with Sauer – 51.66%. Soon, Astana-Nan LLP bought out the remaining stake, and Sauer became the sole owner.
After the sale of the stake, a criminal case for theft was opened against Tsoktoev. Tsoktoev is now charged with more than 800 million tenge, and he faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. However, journalists believe that the case seems flimsy and that Ivan Sauer himself has become too arrogant and overplayed his hand, and the reason for this is the lack of competition.
KARAKOLSKY AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE LLP
Karakolsky Agricultural Enterprise LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production), occupying approximately 30,200 hectares of share land in Akmola Region, was registered in 2005. The first director is Andrey Yem. The company has over 120 shareholders.
Andrey Yem also participates in AF Karakol LLP, Semenovka Agro LLP, Kubekovskoye LLP and Priishimye LLP.
Karakolsky Agricultural Enterprise LLP has a medium risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid 78.3 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 63 million tenge, in 2021 – 88 million tenge, in 2020 – 72.4 million tenge).
In 2018, the then akim of Akmola Region, Malik Murzalin, voiced claims against local agricultural enterprises that were not justifying the hopes and funds invested in their development by the state. Karakolsky Agricultural Enterprise LLP was among these enterprises.
The head of the region was indignant at the negative dynamics of tax contributions demonstrated by the farmers, who had been allocated a considerable sum for support.
It was suggested that these enterprises are involved in illegal hiring of workers and that wages are paid in circumvention of the current legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Following the meeting, the head of the region issued a strict reprimand to the enterprises that had come under criticism.
BASTAU LLP
Bastau LLP (cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, including seed production) was registered in 1999. The first director and founder is Temirkhan Mukushev. Mukushev also appears in such companies as Bastau Agro S LLP, Tan Agro LLP and Tan-Agro S LLP.
Bastau LLP has a low risk level for tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid 143 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 142 million tenge, in 2021 – 142.5 million tenge, in 2020 – 80 million tenge). The LLP has about 40 court cases.
Let us remind you, the FBRK editorial team analyses the dynamics of Kazakhstan's largest land users in order to find out how much agricultural land has been taken from them recently.
Having reviewed the territories of Pavlodar, Kostanay and Akmola Regions, it is obvious that there have been no global changes as such in the land areas of the large landowners, and some of them have even acquired additional hectares.
To be continued …