Information is circulating online that a Moscow court has reviewed the case of former relatives of ex-KNB head Karim Massimov – Azamat and Meder Kapenov.
According to the Telegram channel "Nege.Aqsha", on 18 December the Moscow City Court reviewed the case concerning Kapenov A.A. and Kapenov M.A. It is noted that their initials match the names of the ex-KNB head's former son-in-law, Azamat Kapenov, and his brother, Meder Kapenov.
It is reported that they are wanted in Russia on suspicion of fraud. The criminal case was opened in December 2022.
"The details are not reliably known, but in court regarding the selection of a preventive measure, Kapenov's lawyer stated that the alleged act does not contain the elements of a crime, as there are civil law relations within the framework of contractual relations", the report states.
According to available information, a certain "B." appears in the case materials, who, according to the defence, "has been placed on the international wanted list in connection with the embezzlement of budget funds of the Republic of K.".
Journalists have speculated that this could refer to the founder of the group of companies "Bipek Auto – Asia Auto", Anatoly Balushkin.
For context, in 2021 Balushkin was placed on the wanted list on suspicion of embezzling 230 billion tenge. In December 2022, private bailiffs of the East Kazakhstan region put up for auction the building complex of the car assembly plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk, which Anatoly Balushkin built in the early 2000s.
In August of this year, it became known that a trial in absentia had begun in Ust-Kamenogorsk regarding Anatoly Balushkin. It was reported that in 2020, the authorities terminated the contract with the company and demanded the return of government funds amounting to 174 billion tenge. It is alleged that it failed to fulfil its obligations for industrial vehicle assembly. It was for this amount that the company received tax breaks over 10 years.
Later, it was reported that the search for the former son-in-law of Karim Massimov - Azamat Kapenov could be linked to the case of JSC "Bipek Auto Kazakhstan". It is alleged that previously, the company founder Anatoly Balushkin called Karim Massimov one of the beneficiaries of the campaign to destroy his business, and Kapenov a negotiator.
In November, information appeared in the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted persons database regarding the search for Azamat Kapenov's brother, Meder. The department did not specify the case or article under which he is being sought, but journalists link this to the criminal prosecution of his brother.