An expert from the Society for Consumer Protection in Astana, Marat Bulekbayev, stated at a meeting between the mayor, Zhenis Kassymbek, and the public that billionaire Alexander Klebanov illegally privatised a 50% stake in Astana-ERC LLP. The company handles payment collection for all utility services in the capital.
According to Kursiv.media, the public figure claims that the company's privatisation violated the law on joint-stock companies and natural monopoly entities.
He stated that Klebanov, through Central Asian Electric Power Corporation JSC (CAEPC), acquired a 50% stake in Astana-ERC for 85 million tenge, despite the company's annual turnover being 11 billion tenge. The expert is demanding the intervention of the prosecutor's office and the recognition of the transaction as illegal.
"We demand that the purchase and sale agreement for a 50% stake in the authorised capital of 'Astana-ERC' dated 21 December 2020 between 'SPK Astana' JSC and 'CAEPC' JSC, and the purchase and sale agreement between 'CAEPC' JSC and Caspian Pipe Group be declared illegal.", — said Bulekbayev.
In response, the mayor of Astana, Zhenis Kassymbek, promised to look into the matter.
Incidentally, in February 2023, it was reported that CAEPC had sold its 42.25% stake in Astana-ERC LLP. The current co-owners of Astana-ERC are the companies Alseco and Caspian Five Group.