According to the financial reports of the Dutch company «Noord Holland Trading Company B.V.», structures linked to the family of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev received $50 million in 2023 from the sale of the «Alatau» sanatorium in Almaty.
According to the Telegram channel «Access to the Sea», the transaction amount was only a third of the property's market value, which, according to auditors, reached $174 million.
It has emerged that the «Alatau» sanatorium, built in 1986 for party officials, came under the management of the state corporation KHOZU (Economic Management Department) in the mid-1990s. The head of the corporation at that time was a close associate of Nazarbayev, the late Vladimir Ni.
«Subsequently, Ni and his relatives made millions of dollars from the privatisation of these assets, part of which they spent on buying property in Europe. State property controlled by Ni was sold at reduced prices, and the buyers, as a rule, became relatives of Nazarbayev and businessmen close to his family», the statement says.
It is noted that until 2017, the sanatorium's shares were controlled by an offshore company from the British Virgin Islands, «Karnell Holding», which belongs to billionaire Vladimir Kim and the sanatorium's director, Orazgeldy Tuktibayev.
In 2017, Tuktibayev transferred his shares to «Directorate for Property Management» – an organisation that is part of the private «Elbasy Foundation». After renovation, the building and its surrounding grounds were leased to the Swiss hotel chain «Swissôtel». The group paid $11 million annually to Kim's and Nazarbayev's structures for the lease of the sanatorium.
Following the January 2022 events, the sanatorium was transferred to the Dutch company «Noord Holland Trading Company B.V.» at a price 3.5 times lower than the assessed value. At the same time, several kindergartens, a children's health camp, the «Dostyk» hotel in Almaty, the construction company «Eurasia-Stroy», the Pavlodar television channel «Irbis» (TOO RIA «Arna») and other properties came under the control of the Dutch structure.
According to corporate documents, the ultimate controlling party of «Noord Holland Trading Company» is listed as «Woodbridge Foundation» from Liechtenstein.
It is also noted that this organisation does not appear in the Liechtenstein public register of companies. The legal firm «Trevisa Treuhand Anstalt» is listed as the contact point.
According to available information, the position of director of «Noord Holland Trading Company» is held by a citizen of the Netherlands and Russia, Anna Berezina.
Earlier, the Akim of Pavlodar Region, Asain Baikhanov, reported that one of Kazakhstan's largest gold mining companies, «Altynalmas», had acquired shares of JSC «Maikainzoloto».
At the same time, it became known that 67.5% of shares of JSC «Altynalmas» belong to the Dutch company «Gouden Reserves B.V.», which is headed by the aforementioned Anna Berezina. It was noted that she appeared in transactions related to property controlled by the «Kazakhmys» group.
It was also said that the remaining 32.5% of shares are owned by entrepreneur Vladimir Dzhumanbayev, who ranks 25th in the «75 Richest Businessmen of Kazakhstan-2024» rating.