In Almaty, the criminal trial of public figure Sanzhar Bokayev, his nephew Madiyar Kalmenov and videographer Ulan Nusipkozha has begun. At the first hearing, the defence stated that there had been violations during the review of the case materials and asked for it to be returned to the prosecutor. One of the lawyers also announced an intention to file a written challenge against the judge.
WHAT CHARGES THE COURT IS CONSIDERING
On 16 October, the first hearing in the case began at the Almaly District Court for Criminal Cases of the City of Almaty. Alongside Bokayev in the dock are his nephew Madiyar Kalmenov and videographer Ulan Nusipkozha.
The defendants are charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Fraud");
- Article 188 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Theft");
- Article 218 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Legalisation of money or property obtained by criminal means");
- Article 340 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal felling of trees and shrubs");
- Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Dissemination of knowingly false information").
WHY THE DEFENCE DEMANDED THE CASE BE RETURNED TO THE PROSECUTOR
At the hearing, the lawyers stated that they had not been given full access to all the materials of the criminal case before the start of the trial. According to lawyer Alma Musina, some of the video recordings on the discs would not open, and the defence had not had time to study the materials received.
Lawyer Artyom Askarov said that the defence had not reviewed 12 volumes of the case, and that Bokayev had studied the correspondence in only three volumes. According to him, the lawyers were also not provided with an interpreter to study video recordings in the Kazakh language.
The defence asked for the case to be returned to the prosecutor to address the alleged violations. The judge announced a recess.
WHY THE LAWYERS ANNOUNCED A CHALLENGE AGAINST THE JUDGE
Additional objections from the defence concerned the participation of lawyers in the proceedings. Galymzhan Zholdasbayev stated that lawyer Aiman Umarova had not been connected to the hearing by video link, and regarded this as obstruction of the defence.
Judge Zhanat Abenova replied that there was no obstruction, and that the format of the hearing had been determined in accordance with the established procedure. After that, Zholdasbayev announced his intention to file a written challenge against the judge.
CONTEXT
Sanzhar Bokayev is a Kazakhstani public figure and blogger who gained prominence through social media posts and public initiatives.
In FBK's publications, Bokayev's contacts with representatives of the former political and business elite were examined. He worked in the team of former Almaty akim and former head of the Samruk-Kazyna fund Akhmetzhan Yessimov, and later found himself in Kairat Sharipbayev's circle.
In addition, during the period when Dariga Nazarbayeva was in the Nur Otan party, Bokayev had an office on the same floor as her and often appeared in her circle.
In 2015–2017, he worked as an adviser to the chairman of the board of KazTransGas JSC, which at that time was headed by Sharipbayev. According to the investigation, during that period Bokayev could have influenced the conclusion of a contract for organising a New Year corporate event worth over 100 million tenge.
FBK covered these episodes in more detail in a separate episode on YouTube.
In February 2026, it became known that Bokayev was in the United States, where, according to him, he was doing business. After returning to Kazakhstan, he was detained on 18 March 2026 in Almaty.
In May 2026, there were reports of testimony from former executives and nominal owners of companies linked to Bokayev. The investigation also valued the activist's property at over $2 million.
