Journalists have revealed that a significant number of historic buildings in Almaty are owned by well-known businessmen listed in the Forbes.kz ranking. These include spouses Timur and Dinara Kulibayev, Vladimir Sidelkovsky, Kairat Boranbayev, Vyacheslav Kim, Mikhail Lomtadze and others.
According to the Telegram channel «Shishkin_like», these are buildings that have, or had, the status of architectural and urban planning monuments.
List of buildings:
- Government House of the Kazakh SSR (1947–1957) / Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU). Has the status of an architectural and urban planning monument. The building includes a plot owned by KBTU and the power transmission company «Alatau Zharyk Kompaniyasy» (the sole shareholder of the company is JSC «Samruk-Energy»).
The building itself is owned by the university, whose sole shareholder is the «NNEF» Foundation (formerly the «Nursultan Nazarbayev Educational Foundation»). It has been reported that, in addition to Dinara Kulibayeva, the founders of the foundation are Galina Samarskaya and former head of Astana It University Askar Nurpeisov. The foundation is headed by Svetlana Murzabekova. KBTU's total tax contributions since 2015 amount to 10 billion tenge. The volume of government procurement is 18.3 billion tenge.
- Cinema «Arman» (1968) / cinema centre «Arman». Has the status of an architectural and urban planning monument. It is privately owned by LLP «Kazakhkinofest», headed by Erpan Salimov. Notably, business registries only contain information about the company's owners up to November 2021. Journalists suspect that the owners were the now-dormant LLP «Nasikhat» and LLP «Rakhimzhan». The beneficiary of one is Erpan Salimov's brother, Ershat Salimov. The beneficiaries of the second are Vladimir Sidelkovsky, Rivner Davletbayev and again Ershat Salimov. Since 2015, LLP «Kazakhkinofest» has paid 78.2 million tenge in taxes, of which over 20 million tenge was paid in 2024. The volume of government procurement is 2.5 million tenge.
- Hotel «Alma-Ata» (1967). Has the status of an architectural and urban planning monument. It belongs to the family of Rashida Makhmudova and her sons Farrukh and Sukhrab. The Makhmudov brothers own the Orbis Kazakhstan group of companies and are among the top 75 richest businessmen in Kazakhstan. Since 2015, LLP «Hotel Alma-Ata» has paid approximately 1.9 billion tenge in taxes. The volume of government procurement is 94 million tenge.
- Hotel «Dostyk» (1983). Has the status of an architectural and urban planning monument. Information about the participants of LLP «Hotel Dostyk» is hidden in business registries. Since 2013, the enterprise has been managed by Gaukhar Matkenova. In the last published list of affiliated persons, the hotel belonged to two offshore companies — Frina Holding Corporation and Birtap Holding. Among individuals, the list only includes former finance minister Natalya Korzhova, her relatives, and co-owner of «Kazakhmys» and Kaz Minerals Vladimir Kim. The hotel's tax payments since 2015 amount to 2.4 billion tenge.
- Sanatorium «Alatau» Complex (1986) / Swissotel Wellness Resort Alatau Almaty. Has the status of an architectural and urban planning monument. The sole founder of LLP «Medical and Health Complex «Alatau» is Noord Holland Trading Company B.V., headed by Anna Berezina. According to media reports, the woman owns many assets in Kazakhstan and is connected to Vladimir Kim and Eduard Ogay. Since 2015, the LLP's tax payments amount to approximately 3.6 billion tenge. The volume of government procurement is over 58 million tenge.
- People's Commissariat of Health (1938) / Republican Committee of People's Control / Kazakh Institute of Oil and Gas. Has the status of a local historical and cultural monument. It is owned by LLP «Heritage Capital», whose beneficiaries are spouses Dinara and Timur Kulibayev. According to Adata.kz, the company's balance sheet includes 8 property objects, including two administrative buildings and 6 land plots in Almaty and Astana.
The building currently houses the Kazakh Institute of Oil and Gas, whose 100% owner is Forbes.kz list member Sergey Kan. The LLP's tax payments since 2015 amount to 764 million tenge. The total amount of government procurement contracts is 528.6 million tenge.
- House of Political Education (1986) / Caspian University and «Kazakhmys Corporation». Stripped of its status as an architectural and urban planning monument in 2015. The adjacent plot of approximately 0.5 hectares is managed under the right of temporary compensated short-term land use by LLP «Vostoktsvetmet». The company is part of the KAZ Minerals group structure, whose beneficiaries are Vladimir Kim and Oleg Novachuk. Journalists suspect the owner of the plot is the Almaty State Assets Department.
- Air Terminal (1972) / Shopping Centre. Stripped of its status as an architectural and urban planning monument in 2015. A 1-hectare plot is under temporary compensated long-term shared land use. Its rights holders are JSC «AZhK» and LLP «Drivetech Company». The beneficiaries of the LLP are Ershat Salimov, Vladimir Sidelkovsky and the Kulibayev spouses. Since 2015, the company has paid 646 million tenge in taxes to the budget.
- Hotel «Medeu» (1977)/ unfinished Medeu Park Hotel. Stripped of its local architectural and urban planning monument status in 2011. It is noted that the structure was demolished 4 years before losing its status. After demolition, the plot with the remains of the building's foundation was purchased by Kairat Boranbayev's company - LLP «Medeu Resort». Before him, the LLP was owned by Leila Adaibekova — mother-in-law of Nurali Aliyev and wife of former Chairman of the Central Election Commission Berik Imashev.
The plot, now over 2.1 hectares with a designated purpose for the construction and operation of a hotel and residential complex, is privately owned by another Boranbayev company — LLP «Medeu Park Hotel». Since 2015, it has paid approximately 219 million tenge in taxes.
- Former Merchant Murov House (early 20th century) / shop, offices. Removed from the list of local historical and cultural monuments in 2011. The building is owned by a subsidiary of Kaspi bank — LLP «ARK Balans». The company manages 136 property objects. Additionally, it holds 88 plots of land.
The largest beneficiaries of Kaspi bank are Baring Funds (24.71%), Mikhail Lomtadze (22.37%) and Vyacheslav Kim (21.18%). Tax contributions from LLP «ARK Balans» since 2015 total nearly 2 billion tenge. The volume of government procurement is approximately 7 million tenge.