All articles - Kazakhstan

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
Chorus prospects in US; Moussalli joins CRG; ESL boss moves to Publicis; Eberly resurfaces at Arcanum; Ex-CIA officer Peristere launches firm

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

LondonEx-DoJ investigator helps Chorus make play for US market

FrankfurtMoussalli joins Control Risks

ParisPublicis recruits ESL & Network's Middle East boss

New YorkAfter Jusan, Charles Eberly resurfaces at Arcanum

WashingtonRichard Peristere joins private sector

Spotlight
Score-settling thrives in international court battles with Astana over asset hunts

The lawsuit filed against Astana by Jysan Holding, which was managed until recently by members of the previous administration, underlines the country's 'endemic corruption'. This surprising line of defence is also used by businessmen who have been at loggerheads with that government for years.

Rustam Jursunov, defending entrepreneurs from proposed asset hunt legislation

As well as working to protect the interests of entrepreneurs, Rustam Jursunov is serving as a go-between for proposed legislation on ill-gotten assets and local business leaders, starting with energy magnate Timur Kulibayev.

Washington lobbyists plead Kazakh protesters' cause in US

Trials in connection with last year's protests are in full swing in Kazakhstan. Supporters of some key figures, including Arman Dzhumageldiyev, known to be close to the country's intelligence service, the KNB, have hired Washington lobbyists to drum up support for their cause.

Spotlight
Ron Wahid falls back on Kazakh networks as UK tax office starts hunt

The founder of RJI Capital and Arcanum Global Intelligence has been gradually withdrawing from the London affairs of his advisory and intelligence firms, but not so of his companies with assets in Kazakhstan. Those entities have been calling on their lobbyist networks in Washington.

Askar Amangeldiyev backs his uncle, fallen oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, behind the scenes

Sentenced to 20 years in prison in absentia in Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Ablyazov will soon have news of his legal position in France. Meanwhile, his backers in Brussels are still lobbying on his behalf. Intelligence Online details the role played by his nephew in setting up his support network.

Kazakh opposition seeks to focus US Congress attention back on asset recovery

A group of Kazakh opposition activists are trying to garner support in Washington for their fight to have sanctions imposed on business people close to ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

New French, German and US trio advise Kazakh national holding company

The national holding company Baiterek is weighing in to help Kazakhstan's negotiations to increase commodities exports to Western countries, assisted by a trio of well-connected new consultants from Germany, France and the United States.

Kazakh government and opposition reorganise their London support to asset recovery efforts

Parallel to the legal proceedings in the United States, political opposition organisations and government representation from Kazakhstan are using London as a base to lead investigations into assets linked to the former ruling regime.

Bolashak Consulting Group under scrutiny in Stati affair

In the latest episode of the long-running legal battle with the Stati clan, the discreet Bolashak Consulting Group continues to assist the Kazakh government. However, some of its supporters in the latter are losing their influence.

Nazarbayev's US contacts challenge Kazakh government's asset recovery drive

The companies managed by allies and advisers of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev are counter-attacking, as the Kazakh government pursues its efforts to recover their companies' assets.

Nurzhan Marabayev, the new link in UAE-Kazakh oil shipping partnership

Abu Dhabi Ports has turned to the Marabayev clan, Kazakhstan's long-serving port operator, to build its presence in the Caspian Sea.

Kazakh opposition turns to US courts to hasten asset recovery efforts

Kazakh political activists have trained their sights on companies registered in Nevada as part of a drive to speed up ill gotten asset recovery investigations.

KazMunayGas seeks partners to help find Caspian Sea export routes

Kazakhstan's national oil company wants to make the most of the Caspian Sea as a source of strategic new oil transport routes. The company chairman Magzum Mirzagaliev has been reaching out to potential foreign partners able to assist in the task.

Presight.ai is opening up Asian markets for Emirati cyber group G42

Presight.ai, which is leading the public sector G42 group's internationalisation drive, is working hard to set up partnerships in Asia. Already present in South East Asia, it has now turned its attention to Central Asia, where it has set up its first advance base in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Kazakh financial intelligence ups pace of asset recovery investigations

A year after the January 2022 protests, Kazakhstan's economic and financial intelligence services are under pressure to either conclude or communicate the preliminary findings of their investigations on ill-gotten assets.