The prosecutor's office has secured the return to the state of 100% of the stake in Kazakh Encyclopaedia LLP, which were owned by a company linked to former Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly. An asset worth 1.3 billion tenge is also subject to return to the state.
WHICH ASSETS WERE THE SUBJECT OF THE DISPUTE
In 2015, 100% of the stake in Kazakh Encyclopaedia LLP was privatised by a private legal entity. Subsequently, the enterprise's assets were alienated, including a building with an area of 2,108.3 sq m on a land plot located in the Almaty district of Auezov.
HOW THE CASE DEVELOPED
According to the Almaty city prosecutor's office, in order to protect the state's property interests, the prosecutor's office of the Auezov district of Almaty filed a lawsuit to declare the privatisation agreement and subsequent transactions invalid.
The prosecutor's office stated that the privatisation of 100% of the enterprise's stake and the subsequent alienation of real estate property were carried out illegally.
WHAT DECISION DID THE COURT MAKE
By a ruling of the Court of Cassation, the prosecutor's lawsuit was satisfied in full. As a result, an asset worth 1.3 billion tenge is subject to return to the state.
The court also confirmed the invalidity of the privatisation agreement and subsequent transactions related to this property.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE LINK TO THE FORMER MINISTER
The assets were owned by a company linked to the former Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly.
CONTEXT
In February 2024, a court found Mukhamediuly guilty of attempted bribery and replaced his previous sentence from 8 to 11 years in prison.
His wife, Galiya Iskakova, was sentenced to 6 months in prison for mediation in bribery. However, the court later changed the sentence and ruled that Iskakova's main punishment was considered served, releasing her from custody.
The return of Kazakh Encyclopaedia LLP is not the only case within the framework of work to return assets to the state.
In 2024, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on court proceedings for the return to state ownership of three more objects with a total value exceeding 3.5 billion tenge, which were sold to companies linked to Mukhamediuly.
Among these cases, the Republican School of Higher Sports Excellence in Water and Applied Sports in Almaty was mentioned.