In a case involving Nursultan Nazabayev’s nephew, Kazakhstan’s anticorruption agency announced Wednesday that it had seize jewels in excess of $230 million.
In a statement, the agency stated that they seized “exclusive gems, precious stones and worth 230 million US Dollars” as a result from operational-search operations.
The agency didn’t give any information about the stones seized.
It confirmed that the jewels had been found in a new investigation into Kairat Satybaldy a nephew to Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev, now at 82, ruled Central Asian countries from 1991 to 2019.
Satybaldy, who was detained in March, was charged with embezzlement at Kazakhtelecom, the national telecommunications operator Kazakhtelecom, and “other crimes undermining State Security.”
In September, he was sentenced for six years.
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Satybaldy is first member to be arrested from the Nazarbayev families.
Wednesday was also a day when the anti-corruption agent said that $300 million of his overseas investments would “soon” be transferred to Kazakhstan’s budget.
More than 230 people were killed by riots in Central Asian countries in January 2021. Their causes are still unknown.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the current president, had claimed they were the result from a plot to attack them from abroad. He said that “terrorists” wanted power and never provided any evidence.
Tokayev, who is running to re-elect himself on November 20, has taken the initiative to strengthen his position while reducing that of his authoritarian predecessor.
The capital Astana was renamed to honour Nazarbayev’s memory in 2019. It reverted back to its original name in September.
