Ex-president’s nephew Kairat Satybaldy to be released from prison in Kazakhstan

Kairat Satybaldy, the imprisoned nephew of Ex- President Nursultan Nazarbayev, will be released from prison as his sentence was replaced with a restriction of freedom. The East Kazakhstan region’s court has made the decision, citing Satybaldy’s good conduct and the return of illegally acquired assets to the state as factors influencing its ruling.

«Court No. 2 of Ust-Kamenogorsk has approved the convict’s petition and replaced the unserved part of the prison sentence with a restriction of freedom for a period of three years, three months and seven days,» the court’s statement read.

The court noted that Satybaldy, who was sentenced to six years for embezzlement and causing damage, has served more than one-third of his term and has received positive evaluations from the colony administration. He was rewarded for his active participation in educational activities as he was a member of a voluntary association of convicts. Additionally, he has fully reimbursed the government for damage caused.

Satybaldy was placed under probationary control. If he fails to secure employment, he will be subjected to forced labor. The court ruling also stipulated that Satybaldy must not change his permanent place of residence, work or study without notifying the probation service and he must fulfill «other duties» aimed at his rehabilitation.

In the event of non-compliance with these instructions, the former president’s nephew will be returned to the colony. The ruling has not yet come into force.

Kairat Satybaldy was detained on March 13, 2022, following the January events. He was accused of embezzling millions of dollars from Kazakhtelecom JSC and Transport Service Center JSC. In September 2022, the court sentenced him to six years in a medium-security colony.

In April 2024, Satybaldy went on trial again, this time on charges of money laundering through criminal proceeds. He fully admitted his guilt and expressed a willingness to transfer additional assets to the state as part of a deal with the investigation.

With all the cases brought against him, Satybaldy has returned assets worth $1.6 billion to the state over the past two and a half years.

Earlier this week, Yermurat Bapi, a member of the country’s parliament, openly speculated whether Nazarbayev’s nephew was being prepared for parole after another report surfaced about the return of assets worth over $104 million.