The son of the former akim of Atyrau Region, Berghei Ryskaliyev, Aslan Ryskali, owns expensive property in London.
According to the Telegram channel 'Exit to the Sea', in 2021 he purchased a four-bedroom flat on the lower ground floor of 346 Kennington Road in the south of the British capital. The property has an area of 275 m² and includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms.
The transaction value was £1.51 million (approximately 1.05 billion tenge), and according to the latest market valuations, the price of the flat has risen to £1.88 million (1.3 billion tenge).
Registered at the same address is the company Kennington Green Management Limited, legally constituted as a residents' management company (RMC). Aslan Ryskali is a director of this entity, which indicates ownership of one or more flats in the building and involvement in managing the shared property.
Previously, journalists misinterpreted the activities of this company as full-scale property management and profit extraction from rentals; however, in reality, it represents a form of resident self-governance.
For context, Berghei Ryskaliyev served as the akim of Atyrau Region from 2006 to 2012. In February 2013, he was placed on the international wanted list on charges of crimes under Article 176 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ('Misappropriation or embezzlement of entrusted property') and for creating an organised criminal group. He later received political asylum in the United Kingdom.
It was reported that the actions of the criminal group he led caused state losses amounting to more than 71 billion tenge, of which 23.4 billion tenge were recovered. In January 2019, a court sentenced Berghei Ryskaliyev in absentia to 17 years in prison.
Yesterday, the Old Bailey in London convicted six Bulgarian nationals of espionage in the interests of Russia. According to the investigation, the group's activities were, among other things, directed against the former akim of Atyrau Region, Berghei Ryskaliyev, and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United Kingdom.