Former national economy minister arrested in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev was arrested for two months with the sanction of the specialized investigative court of Astana.

“On November 11, 2023, the specialized interdistrict investigative court of the city of Astana authorized a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 2 months in relation to the suspect Kuandyk Bishimbayev,” the Astana City Court said in a statement, Caliber.Az reports citing Kazakh media.

Former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev was detained on November 9 in Astana on suspicion of murdering his wife.

The Astana police received a report that a quarrel between visitors had occurred in one of the city's restaurants. Paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced the woman dead. She turned out to be the wife of the ex-minister Saltanat Nukenova.

The case is being investigated under the article “Murder”. According to it, Bishimbayev faces up to 15 years in prison.