Not long ago, social media was shaken by a letter from residents of the Katon-Karagay district of the East Kazakhstan Region (EKR), in which a deputy of the district maslikhat from the AMANAT party, Dauren Kalibekov, found himself at the centre of a scandal involving multi-million tenge debts.
According to the published collective letter, the debt in question is more than 127 million tenge. The editorial team of FBRK decided to investigate whether this is actually true.
Let's start with the business. Dauren Kalibekov is indeed connected to Topkayin LLP, which is involved in sawmilling and planing of wood. The company originally engaged in the construction of non-residential buildings, but in 2022 it switched to sawmilling.
The company's founder is Zhandos Toktassyn, and among the directors was Aizhan Kalibekova, reportedly the deputy's sister. Judging by tax contributions, the company is not doing brilliantly. The most tax paid was in 2024 — 230 thousand tenge.
Now for the land case, which is presented in the letter as clear evidence of violations by the deputy. Here the situation turns out to be significantly more interesting. In 2007, the Kalibekov family applied to the akimat of the Katon-Karagay district requesting the allocation of a land plot for the construction of a tourist base and a recreation area.
However, by law, such land could not be allocated directly, so in 2008, by a decision of the akim, a plot of 10 hectares was granted as private property to the deputy's father, designated as land for agricultural purposes.
In 2010, the father died, and ownership of the land passed to the heir — Aizhan Kalibekova. In 2019, the land relations department approved the division of the plot into 11 parts ranging from 0.0074 hectares to 7.8 hectares.
In 2020–2021, the local akimat decided to change the designated purpose of these plots to serve a recreation centre. Subsequently, 8 purchase and sale agreements for the plots were concluded between Kalibekova and the land relations department.
In 2022–2023, part of the plots were transferred into the ownership of Topkayin LLP under purchase and sale agreements, and one plot was gifted to a certain Kopbayev. Simply put, the land, initially provided for a farming enterprise, was effectively converted into plots for a tourist base and partially alienated to other individuals.
In 2024, the committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and the EKR department filed a lawsuit, seeking to declare the 2019 order and the 2021-2023 agreements invalid. The plaintiff argued: the division of the plot violates the Land Code, the reclassification of the land was carried out illegally — the cadastral value was not determined, and losses from agricultural production were not compensated.
On 28 October 2024, the court of first instance upheld the claim and declared the agreements invalid. The authors of the letter appear to rely on this decision, claiming that Kalibekov is ignoring the court ruling. However, there is an important detail.
In January 2025, Aizhan Kalibekova filed an appeal with the regional court. Her arguments: all transactions were concluded based on decisions of the akimat; these decisions have not been revoked and are therefore valid. The appeal agreed, and the transactions retained their legal force.
In other words, the land case has been resolved in favour of the Kalibekov family. The court decision has been overturned, and the accusations have been dropped.
Now for the debts. Kalibekov's total debt exceeds 250 million tenge: 127 million owed to businessman Marlen Kudaibergenov and 1.5 million owed to Eurasian Bank. A travel ban has been imposed, and property has been seized.
A people's representative with multi-million tenge debts is not a good picture. Yet having a debt does not make someone a criminal. Thousands of entrepreneurs have debts and engage in public activities until they are declared bankrupt or convicted of fraud.
But why has the letter appeared now? Kalibekov became a deputy in March 2023. The land case concluded in January 2025 in his favour. And the debt obligations have been ongoing even longer.
The story certainly requires investigation. The editorial team of FBRK has sent an official request to the AMANAT party to find out whether an internal review will be conducted regarding the scandal involving the deputy.