Home Alone

Allegations of various media about the arrest of the former governor Bergei RYSKALIYEV in the Atyrau airport in an attempt to leave the country are not true. There are charter flights available in Aktau, Uralsk and Atyrau - feel free to escape. Should you board in a private plane without any registration and fly away, nobody would know it. Currently the ex-akim is under home arrest. A source in a force structure told our newspaper about the emerging scandal around the ex-administrators of the oblast and the other facts.
- All these started at the meeting in General Prosecutor’s Office when the chairman of National Security Nurtai ABYKAYEV laid a bunch of documents before the Prosecutor General – nearly 70 rejected cases directly or indirectly related to Ryskaliev brothers – Bergei and Amanzhan (also known as Akaman). Many facts were revealed including hostile business takeovers, illegal land plot takeovers, the practice of 40% kickbacks in almost every tender, contract arsons, bashing and murders.
- What does ‘rejected’ mean?
- Too many complaints against one person had been accumulated that it became impossible to ignore them. People apply not only to the prosecutor and police, but to Nur Otan Party, Presidential Administration and Prosecutor General as well. So the circle closed. When Prosecutor General delivered this to the President, the latter immediately called Aslan MUSSIN, the head of administration. Even Mussin was shocked to learn to what extent the situation was corrupt and criminalized in Atyrau. All the heads of force structures were apparently involved in these cases – financial police, judicial system, tax agency, prosecutor’s office, police department, except National Security Department that stayed in neutrality. Now the question lies in changing the heads of these structures – we all know about the first dismissal – of the Head of Oblast Internal Affairs Rakhmadzhan DOSSANOV, who will soon be followed by others. There are questions to the local office of Nur Otan Party as well – its officers were aware of everything, but remained silent. All who worked for Bergei will be dismissed. It turned that the brothers almost never signed a paper – usually Ryskaliyev’s deputies used to sign all tender documents.
- Are there any evidences?
- As far as I heard the main details about channeling budget money were provided by Salimzhan NAKPAYEV (Atyrau ex-mayor and ex-deputy governor). He told about money laundering through such companies as AtyrauBalyk and ZhaikBalyk, specific details about tenders and kickbacks. For example, it is now known whose team is operating in the sea – of one of Ryskaliyev’s deputies. Since there weren’t quotas on catching sturgeon, it was caught under the pretence of scientific purposes and tagged with old labels of now non-exiting AtyrauBalyk to be sent abroad.   
At the moment bank accounts of all such companies titled in the names of those related to Bergei have been arrested. Anyone who worked for him now disappeared. They are being searched out – they switched off their phones and have run away. Bergei’s brother Amanzhan Ryskaliyev, a member of Mazhilis, has gone into hiding too. The flow of complaints from people is increasing, but almost all of them are anonymous – people fear the revenge, nobody undersigns. It will be difficult to figure out where the truth and fiction is.
- Who launched today’s situation? Nakpayev?
- Not only him, it is a coincidence as well. As I told too many complaints were accumulated.
- What happened with Nakpayev in fact?
- When he had gone to vacation Ryskaliyev received a call from his well wishers who asked him if he knew where his deputy was. He said he did – having vacation somewhere. He was told Nakpayev was not in the vacation but negotiating to remove Bergei from his chair to become a governor himself. Angry Bergei recalled Nakpayev from leave, ordered to come to his office and beat him up. Nakpayev somehow managed to escape and the governor sent police officers after him. On the run Nakpayev threw his office keys towards the chasers claiming he quits his position. Bergei didn’t forgive him and demanded his turn up in his office. But Nakpayev fled to Russia. He was forced to come back through threatening to harm his family. After coming back he found job in Agip as a manager and later was arrested. Nakpayev wanted to prove he was not guilty and sent letters to all instances. Now, to the best of my knowledge, prosecutor’s office issued a protest on his case, and likely a judicial reconsideration will take place.  
We understand that our source provided this information not due to personal intentions, but his management’s instruction to do so. Apparently, judging by the fact that the ex-governor is not detained but kept under home arrest, his fate is being traded in Astana by his patrons in force structures. At last, their positions in the power depend on this. Having issued the due-to-health condition decree Mr President now stays aside and is watching the situation.

By Ak Zhaik Editors