KZBlog

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Dariga Nazarbayeva hired private consultants to collect information about the Kazakhgate trial. One of the companies she controls, World Media Corporation, hired private consultants to investigate the case, in which the Justice Department alleges that businessman James Giffen bribed President Nazarbayev with a total of $84 million in order to gain access to Kazakhstan’s oil supplies for US oil companies. Giffen has claimed that he did provide bribes at the request of the CIA. The government of Kazakhstan has not contested the claim and has publicly ignored it.

GlobalOptions Management was hired by Ms. Nazarbayeva to collect information. Their report includes financial details and names of key witnesses. GlobalOptions apparently did not violate any laws because it did not seek to influence the outcome or collect classified or secret information. However, if this report, which was apparently viewed by members of the Kazakhstan government, fell into the wrong hands one wonders what damage it could do.

We may well find out. Rakhat Aliyev, former husband of Dariga Nazarbayeva and recently convicted in-absentia of plotting to violently overthrow the government, apparently has the report now. He has not been shy about posting what he claims are phone calls between high government officials and businessmen on the web. One wonders what he plans to do with this document. Sean Roberts has a few speculations and I can’t think of anything to add to his list.