Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. · June 10, 2004

IT'S LOCAL, BUT WHERE? -- The government of Kazakhstan and its president's financial advisor agree that the Kazakhgate corruption case now in U.S. courts is a local matter -- they just can't agree on the locality. Lawyers for James H. Giffen, who has been indicted on multiple charges of money laundering and tax evasion in connection with bribes he allegedly funneled to his former employer, President Nursultan Nazarbayev, are challenging the courts' jurisdiction, insisting their client was "authorized and directed" by the Kazakh government and the alleged crimes took place in Kazakhstan, so the whole matter is an internal Kazakh issue and beyond the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. Oh no, says Kazakh Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev, it's a U.S. matter, Giffen is a U.S. citizen and the Kazakh government doesn't want to get involved. Toqaev's vow not to interfere flies in the face of Kazakhstan's efforts over the last four years, at the highest levels of both governments, to quash the entire investigation, particularly as it affects Nazarbayev. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/06/c76...-4c66-a1f7-e0418087e4fb.html

HE'S RUNNING, BUT FROM WHAT? -- Why would a candidate announce his readiness to run for another term two-and-a-half years before the next election? If he is the president of Kazakhstan, it may be an attempt at "cleansing" himself of the taint of scandal, suggests the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostev. But the scandal won't disappear that easily, and attempts to get American investigations quashed have failed, the newspaper reports. Nazarbayev told Vremya Novostev that he is seriously considering running for another 7-year term in 2006; his last election was internationally condemned for intense fraud and corruption. The Russian article suggested the early announcement is a sign of the damage being inflicted by the Kazakhgate scandal that accuses the president himself of taking tens of millions of dollars in bribes. He is clearly worried about the corruption charges because shortly after his tainted reelection he rammed through a puppet parliament laws protecting him from criminal prosecution for life. http://www.vremya.ru/

'DO THE RIGHT THING' -- It's not too late for President Nazarbayev to "do the right thing" if he hopes to avoid indictment in the Kazakhgate scandal, advised Rinat Akhmetshin, the director of the International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research in Washington. It will he "cooperating with the U.S. government investigation" and stop trying to "stifle" it by putting "hindrances" in the way of federal prosecutors, as Kazakh authorities have been doing until now, Akhmetshin explained. Nazarbayev's record of obstruction prompted the U.S. Senate last year to pass a resolution urging his government to cooperate with Justice Department investigators. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/06/c76...-4c66-a1f7-e0418087e4fb.html

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