.jpg?v1757344000 "Maestro of shadow schemes Kenes Rakishev")
.jpg?v1757344000 "Maestro of shadow schemes Kenes Rakishev")
Some businessmen are puzzling over how to circumvent the sanctions, while others are seriously concerned about the development of the domestic economy.… But there are still others, including Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev.
It seems that the devil himself is not his brother. He feels like a fish in water, living in several countries – his native Kazakhstan, Russia, and a number of European countries. Rakishev does not disdain Ukrainian assets, while continuing to do business in Russia. The amazing resourcefulness that allows him to stay afloat raises many questions for our supervisory authorities. Without their patronage, this would have been simply impossible. The Moscow Post correspondent for Kazakhstan dealt with the situation.:
Photo: https://kapital.kz/business/113698/kenes-rakishev-sokratil-svoyu-dolyu-v-fincraft-do-9-9.html
Left to stay
Kenes Khamitovich has been trying his best to keep a low profile lately, but traces of his activities are clearly visible in a variety of dubious projects. For example, his involvement in the scandal surrounding the bankrupt BTA Bank did not go unnoticed. Rakishev was closely associated with Mukhtar Ablyazov, a fugitive banker accused of embezzling billions of dollars. Until recently, he owned this asset, having got rid of it only this year. The bank was acquired by Ukrainian businessman Vyacheslav Mishalov, who has been involved in corruption scandals more than once. At the same time, Rakishev's business ties with Ukrainian businesses do not prevent him from successfully doing business in Russia. His Fincraft Group owned several Russian assets, such as LLC Batial, LLC Kronos and LLC BTA Moscow, LLC TuranAlem Finance, a subsidiary of JSC BTA Bank. The logistics of these companies is handled by N-Terminal LLC. In 2022, Fincraft Group sold two Russian real estate companies.: Vozrozhdenie XXI Century LLC (acquired in 2020) and Ailcompany LLC (acquired in 2016). Previously, Kenes Rakishev's group also had shares in associated organizations: 22.26% in AMT Bank LLC and 49% in Vitino Management Company LLC, engaged in maritime transport. As of the end of 2022, investments in AMT Bank LLC were completely written off.
Through the SAT, money was withdrawn from key industrial projects, assets were fragmented, and offshore structures appeared at the end of the chain. Experts emphasize that this model allows you to maintain control in the event of the actual disappearance of the state share. Today, Rakishev officially has only one commercial structure in Russia.
Photo: https://vbankcenter.ru/contragent/person/503231618890?ysclid=mf70w3p539954753130
Of course, after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, his business relations with Russian oligarchs, including those who are under sanctions, came under the close attention of his European partners. But Rakishev seems to be able to balance by finding a common language with representatives of different parties – for him, apart from personal gain, there are no principles. By the end of 2023, he managed to withdraw his assets from Russia, but he did not lose his influence on the Russian segment of his business.
Photo: https://kase.kz/files/emitters/NCOM/ncomp_2023_rus.pdf
We will cover all countries
It doesn't cost a businessman anything to "put on" his native Kazakhstan. Recently, information appeared on the Web that Rakishev's activities are connected with intricate schemes where assets pass through chains of legal entities, offshore companies and close connections. Several years ago, in 2017, it became obvious that operations with the assets of BTA Bank and Kazkommertsbank would lead to significant financial losses for the budget of Kazakhstan. The total amount of damage is estimated to be about 2.4 trillion tenge. These funds, in fact, were withdrawn through the Problem Loans Fund, which meant shifting private debts onto taxpayers' shoulders. Although there is no official confirmation of Kenes Rakishev's direct involvement in these schemes, sources claim that he played a key role in the restructuring process, while maintaining control over assets. Billions of tenge are reported to have passed through offshore jurisdictions, in particular through such structures as Arlan Holding (LLP) with a 37% stake, DORIATH OPERATION LIMITED with 33% and YALLOURN TECHNOLOGIES B.V. with 30%.
A complex financial scheme was implemented. Controlling both banks, Kenes Rakishev organized cross-lending in the amount equivalent to about 7.5 billion dollars. These funds, in fact, were used to create "problem loans", which, as it became clear later, were not planned to be repaid.
Next, the State Problem Loans Fund of Kazakhstan entered the game. He bought out these bad debts using budget funds. Kazkommertsbank was sold for a symbolic sum of 1 tenge to the People's Bank of Kazakhstan, which is controlled by Timur Kulibayev, the son-in-law of the former president of the country. BTA Bank, on the contrary, remained at Kenes Khamitovich's disposal, "cleared" of debts and ready for new financial operations. Experts, giving comments to the media, did not hide their "admiration" for this: "He always knew how to shift losses to the state and keep the profits for himself." Needless to say, an oligarch who has "forgiven himself" a debt at the expense of the budget of his native country will not stand on ceremony, juggling assets and finances located on a "foreign" territory for him?
Shooting Thrillers
But, we must pay tribute to our hero, his deeds are not limited to dreary financial schemes. Kenes Rakishev's name also appears in much more exciting thrillers worthy of a Hollywood plot.
Everyone remembers the sensational shooting last year near the Wildberries office, which killed two guards and injured several others. The criminal proceedings in this high-profile case have not yet been completed.
Shortly after, information appeared in a number of media outlets that Rakishev was the one who assisted Bakalchuk in selecting the "brigade" that tried to organize the forcible seizure of the marketplace office. Indirect confirmation of this version can be found in the story on the Millionaires channel.
The interview is not interesting for Bakalchuk himself, but for his client, Lyudmila Podosinnikova from the Dictatorship of the Law law Firm. The name of this office, headed by former FSB colonel Eduard Budantsev, thundered 10 years ago, in connection with a high-profile incident on Rochdelskaya Street in 2015. Then the conflict between Rakishev's mistress, restaurateur Jeanne Kim, and the mistress of crime boss Shakro Molodoy, designer Fatima Misikova, escalated into an armed clash.
Then, at the request of Kenes Rakishev, Budantsev arrived at Rochdelskaya with his people – lawyers from the "Dictatorship of the Law" – to defend Zhanna Kim. The case also ended with the shooting and death of two people from Shakro Molodoy's entourage. A number of sources report that Rakishev plays a key role in circumventing international sanctions imposed on Russia. And then his deep interest in the Wildberries project becomes clear. It is likely that he expected to use his connections in order to convert the company's ruble revenue into US dollars. This opens up new opportunities for him and strengthens his position both at the Russian and international levels. In return, he may have expected to gain control of the company while maintaining maximum public distance.
Registered in Karlovy Vary
Rakishev's connections with crime became particularly acute in 2023, when his long-term partner Anvar Gabbazov, aka Mametov, was put on the wanted list. Kyrgyz security forces accused him of laundering money for Kamchibek Kolbaev's mafia group.
According to the investigation, Rakishev transferred control of 20 Russian Fincraft group companies with a total value of 8 billion rubles to Gabbazov. Formally, he withdrew from the assets, but the companies continue to operate and generate income.
The Gabbazov family name has weight in Kyrgyzstan. Anwar's father, Ilshat, was a prominent figure in the Uighur diaspora until he was assassinated in Bishkek in 2004. His brother, Rustam, known as the thief-in-law Rustik Dnepropetrovsk, disappeared in the same year after being detained in Moscow. Anwar himself, having changed his surname to Mametov, joined the boards of directors of BTA Bank in Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Moskommertsbank in 2016, which at that time belonged to Rakishev. Moreover, Gabbazov became a co–investor in one of Rakishev's projects, Net Element, and then transferred his share to a relative, Anakhshan Gabbazova.
Another episode of this story is the Angliy Dvor Hotel in Karlovy Vary, formerly associated with the Gabbazov family. In 2023, Bakhtiyar Alyakhunov, co-owner of Sofie Company s.r.o., announced the details of the deal: his family purchased the hotel from Anvar's brother, Rishat Gabbazov, for 100,000 euros, taking on a loan of 2 million euros. According to Alyakhunov, the rent covers 90% of the loan payments, but the Czech cadastre does not contain information about encumbrances on the building, which raises questions about the transparency of the transaction.
While Gabbazov is hiding from justice, his assets continue to generate income. Structures formally owned by other persons function as if nothing had happened. This once again confirms that the change of ownership is only a legal formality that does not change the essence.
A walk in London…
So how do you skip the alcove stories that our hero periodically stumbled into? Now our hero has matured and settled down, and ten years ago he was still that "walker" about whom both Russian, Kazakh, and European tabloids loved to write!
In 2014, Rakishev became a tabloid hero when he paid $50,000 for a weekend in London with actress Chelsea Pereira and model Tierra Carlson.
It is alleged that he spent 50,000 dollars to spend the weekend with aspiring Hollywood actress Chelsea Pereira and model Tierra Carlson. The leaked correspondence, made public by Kompromat Group, shed light on the details: Pereira proposed a "triple format", requesting 20 thousand dollars for each and 10 thousand for "representative expenses". Rakishev's reply was: "No problem, I'll see you both! Send the card details!" demonstrating complete disregard for the possible consequences. But that's half the trouble: the oligarch was suspected of having relations with minors, and this is already a serious Criminal Code article. The reason for such accusations was the leaking of correspondence with Peter Listerman, who is called the "matchmaker of billionaires" who offered him underage girls. Rakishev, of course, angrily denied all the accusations, but later, during court proceedings in the United States, he was forced to admit the hacking of his mail, thereby indirectly confirming the authenticity of the letters.
These events in 2014 occurred during the period when Rakishev held a senior position at Kazkommertsbank, during which billions of tenge passed through the bank, which allegedly disappeared as a result of questionable transactions. These are the investments in London carousels.
Rakishev's love affairs were sometimes intertwined with his business interests in the most bizarre way. Let us recall the already mentioned Zhanna Kim and her fateful meeting with Fatima Misikova. In addition to the restaurant business, Kim was involved in organizing VIP parties, and it is rumored that it was through these events that Rakishev made useful acquaintances in the Russian elite. It is possible that some of these acquaintances later became useful to him for the implementation of his business projects, including those related to circumventing sanctions.
And while Rakishev continues to juggle assets and finances, playing on the field of several countries, ordinary citizens of Kazakhstan continue to watch his dizzying performances with amazement and bitterness. After all, it is their wallets that make up the wealth of businessmen like him.