(16 January 2026 | Source: FBRK anonymous bot)
The FBRK editorial team has obtained documents from the five-star hotel The St. Regis Astana, indicating a corporate event was held on 12 December involving JSC "NWF "Samruk-Kazyna".
At the same time, on 24 December, the fund's managing director Gibrat Auganov told the media that the company had cancelled its New Year's corporate party.
WHAT THE HOTEL DOCUMENTS STATE
A banquet order from the hotel dated 12 December 2025 for an event in the Astor Ballroom of the five-star hotel The St. Regis Astana was submitted to the FBRK anonymous bot.
According to the document, an event described as a corporate party took place that day. The document specifies the time as 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM, along with the seating plan: 15 round tables of 10 people each, accommodating approximately 150 participants.
The order also records the use of a New Year's gala menu, and among the decorative elements listed are a photo zone, a red carpet, a stage, and a dance floor. These items are explicitly included in the document and indicate a festive, New Year's format for the event.
PUBLIC STATEMENT ON 24 DECEMBER
On 24 December 2025, however, the managing director of JSC "NWF "Samruk-Kazyna", Gibrat Auganov, stated in a comment to the publication Ulysmedia.kz that the company would not be holding a New Year's corporate party.
"Our employees will celebrate the New Year at home, with their families. We have a tradition — we annually review the year's results, discuss plans and objectives for the new year," he told journalists.
Auganov also spoke about the tradition of setting up a 'Wishing Tree' and charitable collections to help those in need.
WHAT ELSE IS KNOWN
The hotel invoice lists an amount of approximately 18.5 million tenge. According to a source, the total cost of the event, including organisation and associated expenses, could have been around 35 million tenge.
The source also claims that fund managers and representatives of subsidiary structures took part in the event. No photo or video materials, nor participant registration lists, were provided.
POSITION OF JSC "NWF "SAMRUK-KAZYNA"
In response to a request from the FBRK editorial team, Samruk-Kazyna stated that on 12 December 2025, the fund did indeed hold an event for employees.
According to the official comment from the press service, this was an annual event to review the year's results, during which the past year's work is discussed and goals and priorities for the following year are set. The company emphasised that all fund employees traditionally take part in such meetings.
The response also noted that the event was organised and paid for using the funds of the foundation's employees. No further explanation of the event's funding mechanism was provided in the response.