Draft:Trial of Kuandyk Bishimbaev

The trial of Kuandyk Bishimbayev is a trial related to the murder of his common-law wife, Saltanat Nukenova. There is also a second accused in the case - a fourth cousin.

According to investigators, on the night of November 9, 2023, Bishimbayev beat his wife in an Astana restaurant and left her dead on the floor of a VIP cabin for 6–8 hours. Kuandyk does not admit his guilt, claims that his wife drank alcohol that evening and “provoked” him with “aggression.” A relative of the ex-minister was accused of concealing a crime and failing to report a crime - Bishimbaev's brother, Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, on the orders of Bishimbayev, deleted part of the recordings from the CCTV camera.

The case was the first domestic violence trial in Kazakhstan to be broadcast live and watched by a jury.

The case received a great public response to the problem of domestic violence not only in Kazakhstan itself, but also beyond its borders. It was also covered by foreign journalists. It also influenced the revision of legislation regarding domestic violence in Kazakhstan.

Attention to the case was drawn to the identity of the accused, who held important government positions.

Prerequisites
Bishimbayev's first term of imprisonment

The main defendant in the case, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, is a Kazakh statesman who served as Minister of National Economy from May to December 2016. Radio Azattyk called him a representative of the political elite of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev; while working as Minister of Economy, he was part of the management of a number of structures and foundations.

On January 10, 2017, Bishimbayev was charged with “organizing the commission of a crime or directing its execution, as well as creating or leading a criminal group” and “taking possession of someone else’s property or organizing looting” while in public service, was arrested following a court case, lasting until March 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. Bishimbayev was supposed to serve his sentence in a maximum security colony, but in the fall of 2019 he was released from prison in Shymkent and amnestied by decree of President Nazarbayev, and his term of imprisonment was reduced from 10 to 4 years.

Bishimbayev's third marriage

Soon after his release from prison, his second wife Nazim Kaharman divorced him. She cited excessive suspicion, constant groundless scandals, and excessive aggression as the reasons. “When he came out, we lived together for a month. The man came out of prison with the deep conviction that he was always right.”

Bishimbayev met with Nukenova (born 1992) in Astana in August 2022.

Despite several refusals from Saltanat, Bishimbayev continued to obsessively court and pursue, while showing only his best side.

On December 16, 2022, Bishimbayev got married to Nukenova, the ceremony took place in the main republican mosque in Astana, but the relationship was not officially registered (as a result of which disciplinary action was taken against the imam of the mosque who performed the ceremony) and they lived together in an unregistered marriage.

A document, read by prosecutor Aizhan Aimaganova in court, states that Kuandyk forbade Saltanat from talking and meeting with relatives and friends, monitored all her phone calls, text messages and location, and also forbade her from engaging in activities that generate monetary income, often calling at around two or three o'clock every morning. He wrote messages demanding that she pick up the phone.

The prosecutor stated that her relatives were against this marriage and that Nukenova also agreed to move from Astana to Almaty in the hope that “a change of residence and atmosphere would change Bishimbayev’s attitude towards her.”

In April 2023, Bishimbayev learned that Nukenova's relatives had a photograph of her with signs of severe beatings on her face. Fearing blackmail in case of divorce, he demanded that his wife film an intimate video. Under threats, she made a video where she was naked.

Subsequently, Saltanat made repeated attempts to leave her husband, but each time she returned to him. At the same time, despite all the pathological jealousy of her wife, she learned that Bishimbayev was cheating on her.

As a result of the beating in October 2023, Saltanat suffered a cerebral hemorrhage; by the time of her death, the hematoma had become chronic.

Murder
According to the prosecutor, on the evening of November 8, 2023, the couple arrived at a concert in Astana by the Russian singer Dima Bilan, but due to a quarrel that arose between them, they left it without waiting for the end and went to the BAU restaurant, where they occupied the VIP room and ordered sparkling wine. Subsequently, the accused claimed that Nukenova was very drunk, but a forensic examination later refuted his claims: “such a level of alcohol in the blood and urine is not considered even mild intoxication.”

During the ongoing quarrel, Nukenova said that she was tired of such a relationship and finally decided to leave Bishimbayev. Saltanat also informed her brother about this, saying that she would come to spend the night with him. Kuandyk did not let her go to her brother, and they remained on the territory of the restaurant.