Astana, 12 November. The KNB’s Anti-Corruption Service on 11 November detained Nurlan Zhakupov, chairman of the board of the Samruk-Kazyna fund, and Yeljas Otynshiyev, chairman of the board of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, along with other persons suspected of a corruption offence, the committee’s press service said.
The KNB statement was published on 12 November at 11:52. It says that investigative actions are under way to establish all circumstances of the case and that, under Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code, other information on the course of the pre-trial investigation may not be disclosed. The committee added that the fight against corruption continues in fulfilment of the Head of State’s directives and the principle of “Law and Order”.
In the morning, Telegram channels wrote about the detention. At 11:20 the fund’s press service neither confirmed nor denied the information and said it was waiting for official data from the competent bodies. According to the description by the channel Jas Alash, the circulating message named articles 24 (part 3) and 366 (part 4) of the Criminal Code: an attempt to take a bribe on an especially large scale or as part of a group. Some outlets repeat these details; the KNB statement contains no articles, no place of custody and no preventive measure.
The KNB statement does not name the other detainees. The Telegram channel Yedilov Online wrote at 11:31 that, according to its sources, on 10 November three people were detained on suspicion of an “alleged offence”. They are Vladimir Petrov, managing director of KTZ and director of the Transportation Process Directorate branch; Azamat Sembay, director of the fund’s department for methodology, control and monitoring of procurement; and Kairat Kabylov, deputy general director for support at KTZ — Freight Transportation LLP. The channel gives no official details, and these names do not appear in the committee’s statement.
What it means: The KNB has confirmed the main point of the morning reports: both executives are detained. But what exactly they are suspected of the committee does not say: the statement gives no article, amount, episodes or preventive measure. Detention and suspicion do not mean guilt: that is decided by a court.
What we know now: Known: the detention on 11 November was carried out by the KNB Anti-Corruption Service; “other persons” were detained together with the executives, and the committee does not name them; investigative actions are under way; the committee will not disclose details of the investigation. Unknown: which article of the Criminal Code applies, whether a preventive measure has been chosen, who the other persons are and whether the list from the Telegram channel Yedilov Online is confirmed, what the fund and KTZ say after the KNB statement, and who is temporarily performing the detainees’ duties.
Background: Nurlan Zhakupov has headed the Samruk-Kazyna board since April 2023. Yeljas Otynshiyev, previously the fund’s managing director for strategy and asset management, became chairman of the KTZ board in July 2026 by decision of the fund’s board. Shortly before, Talgat Aldybergenov had left the post of head of the company, and the prime minister had said the company’s situation was “not rosy”; Otynshiyev became the company’s third head in two years (Orda.kz).
