Місяць: Березень 2026

Most materials about Galimzhan Yessenov focus on his alleged role in the misappropriation of funds from Kazakhstan’s National Welfare Fund and his marriage to the daughter of its head, Akhmetzhan Yessimov.

These factors are indeed significant. As a result of the activities attributed to Yessenov — who at the time owned ATF Bank, where the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, led by Yessimov, had placed its assets — no less than $2.5 billion reportedly disappeared from the Fund. The story remains shrouded in mystery, and traces of it are actively being removed from the internet by the former father-in-law and son-in-law. We will return to this episode later, since any account of Galimzhan Yessenov’s rise without mentioning his marriage to the daughter of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s nephew, Akhmetzhan Yessimov, and his subsequent transformation from an obscure manager into one of Kazakhstan’s wealthiest individuals would be incomplete.

Galimzhan Yessenov as a target of Pegasus cyber-surveillance

However, an even more significant development largely went unnoticed: a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that Galimzhan Yessenov appeared on a list of individuals selected as targets of the military-grade Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group.

News of this surfaced briefly in the summer of 2021, during Kazakhstan’s political transition, when President Tokayev’s camp was gradually displacing the long-dominant Nazarbayev clan.

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The list of surveillance targets consisted overwhelmingly of members of the Nazarbayev circle, including his nephew — and Yessenov’s father-in-law — Akhmetzhan Yessimov, who at that time headed the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, an entity controlling state assets equivalent to approximately 43% of the country’s GDP.

Notably, the identity of the party that commissioned the surveillance remains unknown. OCCRP advanced its own hypothesis regarding the initiators of the cyber-espionage campaign against Nazarbayev’s entourage:

“Dozens of indicators suggest that surveillance covered virtually the entire Nazarbayev regime from top to bottom — most likely conducted by its own security services.”

This assessment appears plausible, particularly given that Kazakhstan’s authorities launched no meaningful investigation after it became public that the country’s top leadership had been targeted by external cyber-surveillance.

It remains unclear who exactly ordered the KNB to monitor members of the outgoing elite. Logically, one might assume it was Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, but, as OCCRP noted, “the available data indicate particular attention to Nazarbayev’s inner circle, who also appointed himself lifelong chairman of the Security Council.” Kazakhstan’s Security Council controls the country’s security services. However, before stepping down, Nazarbayev amended the constitution to grant the Council additional powers, effectively placing it above both the president and the prime minister. At the same time, the list of surveillance targets included President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Askar Mamin themselves. Thus, the true initiator of the espionage remains a highly debated question. In any case, Galimzhan Yessenov found himself in very interesting company.

Galimzhan Yessenov — a Forbes List Figure

Four years have passed since then, and the elite transition in Kazakhstan has largely been completed, along with the redistribution of the country’s assets that accompanied it. The Samruk-Kazyna fund received a new head, yet contrary to Tokayev’s promises of a thorough audit, Akhmetzhan Yessimov remains at liberty and appears to be doing quite well as an assistant to the First President — Elbasy, as his current position is officially called.

As for his former son-in-law, who logically might have been expected at least to face criminal charges over alleged irregularities involving the Fund’s money and the controversial refinancing of ATF Bank he once owned — if not to lose a significant portion of his assets — Galimzhan Yessenov has instead increased his wealth and now appears on the Forbes list with an estimated fortune of $560 million. He ranks 19th among Kazakhstan’s richest individuals and 13th among the country’s most influential figures, a result that surprises those who once predicted prison bars and prison rations for him.

Moreover, among his key assets is a 99.74% stake in JSC First Heartland Securities, through which Galimzhan Yessenov controls 79.63% of JSC First Heartland Jusan Bank. Another 20.11% of the bank belongs to him directly. Through Jusan Bank, he holds a 9.08% stake in JSC Kcell, plus an additional 14.87% via KC Holding Ltd. These percentages and company names mean little to outsiders. However, two important points should be understood from them.

First, ATF Bank, which was owned by Galimzhan Yessenov and through which funds — including money from the National Welfare Fund — were reportedly withdrawn, was later acquired by Jusan Bank. As a result, Yessenov became the majority shareholder of Jusan Bank.

But this is only at first glance. The second key point is the following: JSC First Heartland Securities is part of the First Heartland group, which belongs to Pioneer Capital Invest. That company, in turn, is owned by Nazarbayev University (16.06%), Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (9.46%), and the Nazarbayev Fund (74.48%).

Thus, it appears that Galimzhan Yessenov in fact serves as a nominee — or, if you prefer, a front — for the Nazarbayev family. This conclusion is supported by numerous Western investigations into assets allegedly transferred abroad by the Nazarbayevs.

Galimzhan Yessenov and Dariga Nazarbayeva

Galimzhan Yessenov’s name was mentioned in Western media in connection with the case of “unexplained wealth orders,” under which luxury real estate belonging to Nazarbayev’s eldest daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva and her son Nurali Aliyev was seized in London.

While explaining in a British court the origin of funds used to purchase properties worth tens of millions of dollars, Nazarbayeva cited proceeds from the sale of shares she owned in the Kant sugar company. Western investigators later suggested that “Nazarbayeva may have effectively purchased the Kant shares from herself through an intermediary named Galimzhan Yessenov.”

As Legal Reader noted, “given that Yessenov was only 25 years old at the time of the Kant transaction and did not have access to $74 million, it is unlikely that he acted alone.” It is also noteworthy that in the same year Gas Development acquired the Kant shares, Yessenov married the daughter of Akhmetzhan Yessimov, the former mayor of Almaty and an adviser to Dariga’s father — President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Galimzhan Yessenov and Akhmetzhan Yessimov

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Here again we return to the marriage between the then little-known Galimzhan Yessenov and the daughter of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s longtime loyal associate, Akhmetzhan Yessimov. Why Yessenov in particular became Yessimov’s son-in-law is unlikely ever to be established. It was hardly a romantic match — Kazakhstan is not America, where billionaires’ daughters sometimes make such unexpected choices. Most likely, it was Akhmetzhan Yessimov himself who selected Yessenov as a husband for his daughter.

He appears to have chosen him according to criteria acceptable not only to himself but also to the inner circle of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Soon afterward, assets linked to the presidential clan began to be registered in Yessenov’s name. In addition to the already mentioned Kant company, the former Seymar manager Galimzhan Yessenov became the owner of Kazphosphate, which he purchased in 2007, immediately after the wedding, for $120 million. At the time he was only 22 years old, and it is highly doubtful that he possessed such funds. In fact, he had no such money, and in the case of Kazphosphate he allegedly acted as a nominee for Nurlan Nigmatulin, then Speaker of Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis.

Yessenov’s next major acquisition was ATF Bank, already mentioned in connection with deposits placed there by the National Welfare Fund headed by Akhmetzhan Yessimov. He purchased ATF Bank in 2012 for $500 million — funds he also clearly did not have. The explanation, however, is straightforward: ATF Bank was an asset of the Nazarbayev family and served their interests. Ultimately, it was merged into Jusan Bank, as noted earlier. This also clarifies the unusual aspects observed in the cooperation between ATF Bank and the state.

In 2017, the National Bank of Kazakhstan allocated $260 million to ATF Bank as refinancing, even though by all key indicators the bank did not require such support. In early 2020, ATF received an additional $80 million in assistance after non-performing loans had risen to 29% of its assets. Notably, no investigation was conducted into who received those loans, and neither the bank’s chairman nor its nominal owner, Galimzhan Yessenov, faced any consequences for what appeared to be a massive dissipation of the bank’s funds. The conclusion suggests itself.

The most scandalous episode, however, involved the funds of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund. In 2020, money from Kazakhstan’s National Welfare Fund — then headed by Akhmetzhan Yessimov — was placed in ATF Bank. This was done in violation of the fund’s own rules, which required deposits to be held in banks with an “A” rating, whereas ATF Bank at the time held only a “B” rating.

The amount in question was $350 million, yet the ensuing scandal had no impact either on ATF Bank’s owner Galimzhan Yessenov or on Samruk-Kazyna chief Akhmetzhan Yessimov. Considering that both were seen as serving the interests of the Nursultan Nazarbayev family, a different outcome was hardly expected.

Change of Elites and the Changing Status of Galimzhan Yessenov

After the aging Nursultan Nazarbayev lost power, it seemed obvious that representatives of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s camp would begin redistributing assets, since no unclaimed resources remained in Kazakhstan. Such a development would have surprised no one — similar patterns occur across many post-Soviet states.

However, after some initial discomfort caused by the shift in elites, it suddenly became clear that Galimzhan Yessenov not only avoided losses but firmly secured his position on the Forbes lists as one of the country’s richest and most influential figures. His divorce from Akhmetzhan Yessimov’s daughter only reinforced that status. Whether the divorce was genuine or merely formal remains a matter of debate.

In any case, this concerns the assets of an entire country — assets that, as it turned out, no one moved to seize from the Nazarbayev clan, at least not those formally held by Yessenov. Does this mean that the once-impoverished manager who agreed to act as a proxy for Yessimov simply changed patrons and now serves Tokayev’s circle? The situation appears far more complex. The Jusan Bank deal suggests rather the opposite.

The same impression arises from the Pegasus cyber-espionage scandal, which implicated nearly all major asset holders of the Republic of Kazakhstan — including Tokayev, Nazarbayev, and Yessenov. This episode raises the possibility that Kazakhstan’s elites are far less independent than they seek to appear. The question then becomes: who is holding leverage over them all, and what role does Galimzhan Yessenov play in these processes?

The family of the fugitive MP Yaroslav Dubnevych has actively acquired foreign real estate over the past few years. This includes several properties in Slovakia and at least two apartments in Dubai. While Slovak law enforcement partially cooperates with Ukrainian investigators, the UAE remains a safe haven where many corrupt officials and lawbreakers have managed to legitimize their ill-gotten gains.

Yaroslav Dubnevych is a long-standing Member of Parliament. Back in 2019, he was stripped of parliamentary immunity due to embezzlement at Ukrzaliznytsia amounting to 93 million UAH. He is also a key figure in a more notorious case involving the orchestration of a scheme to embezzle natural gas in the Lviv region worth 2.1 billion UAH and the laundering of the proceeds. In 2023, it became known that Dubnevych fled abroad via Romania and Hungary. However, his current whereabouts remain unknown.

While the active MP hides from the investigation, his daughter and son-in-law have been actively transferring assets abroad. As early as 2020, a company named V. development & consulting, s. r. o. was registered in Slovakia. The co-founders are Yaroslav Dubnevych’s daughter, Roksolana Pyrtko, and her husband, Mykhailo Pyrtko. Journalists have already reported on this company and the housing registered to the couple in Bratislava.

However, data from Slovak registries reveals an interesting detail: Mykhailo and Roksolana Pyrtko are registered as residing in Dubai, UAE. At least until November 2023, the son-in-law of the fugitive MP was registered in a building on the luxurious Palm Jumeirah island, where some of the world’s wealthiest individuals own property.

A source for “Antikor” provided photographs of the building where Mykhailo and Roksolana Pyrtko are registered.

The apartment building is located on the so-called “trunk” of the island. Residents have direct access to a vast park over which a monorail operates. This is akin to a suspended metro that moves along a single track powered by electricity. The driverless monorail offers a circular view of the entire Palm island.

Residents of the building also have access to a private pool and gym. Additionally, they are granted free access to a private beach located across the road.

Near the building where Dubnevych’s daughter and son-in-law are registered, one can spot cars like Ferrari, and within walking distance is the iconic attraction of The Palm Jumeirah – an observation deck. From a height of 240 meters, it offers a fantastic 360-degree view of the man-made island.

Local real estate agencies offer the rental of a three-bedroom apartment in this building for $75,000 per year.

In 2025, investigative journalists reported on another apartment in Dubai owned by the Pyrtko couple. This information came to light thanks to a massive leak from Dubai registries, which are not publicly accessible. The 140-square-meter apartment is registered under Roksolana, Dubnevych’s daughter.

It was purchased for $1.2 million and almost immediately rented out for just over $70,000 per year.

As a source for “Antikor” explains, this apartment is located in the most elite area of Dubai – near the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, and the Dubai Opera. “Antikor” has obtained photos of the building where Dubnevych’s daughter owns an apartment.

This residential complex consists of two high-rise towers. Apartments with facade views overlook the Dubai Opera with its red carpet and the Burj Khalifa.

The world’s tallest building and a luxurious park with singing fountains are located just across the road from the complex.

Local realtors describe this area as the most elite and profitable for renting out real estate. A simple calculation shows that the full cost of the apartment could be recouped through rent by Dubnevych’s daughter in 5-7 years.

Roksolana Pyrtko is engaged in marketing and real estate operations. In Ukraine, she manages several shopping centers in the western part of the country.

In Dubai, the Pyrtko couple owns a company called Symbol consulting. On the LinkedIn page of Roksolana’s husband, Mykhailo Pyrtko, who refers to himself as “Miguel,” it is stated that he has been a co-founder of the company since July 2023.

The Dubai-based company of the Dubnevych family is registered in the DMCC free economic zone, which exempts it from taxes. It should be noted that, apart from the Symbol consulting website, the company shows no significant activity, which may suggest it exists only on paper.

As sources familiar with the operations of companies in the DMCC free zone informed “Antikor,” the practice of registering companies without actual activity is very common there. This works as follows: a company is registered, an office is rented, a license is obtained, and one employee is hired. No one ever shows up at this office, and such companies are typically used to “launder” money for certain legalization purposes.

The Pyrtkos’ firm, Symbol consulting, is registered in the Swizz Tower business center.

The approximate annual rent for a standard office costs $20,000-25,000. Add to that the cost of a license and additional expenses for opening a bank account. From the building, several of Dubai’s “landmarks” are visible – the recently opened tallest hotel in the world and the most twisted building in the world. Below the business center, there is a large artificial lake and a promenade area with numerous restaurants.

A local realtor told journalists that the DMCC free zone is considered a so-called luxury zone – companies dealing in precious metals, real estate, fashion, and similar industries are usually “registered” here. At the same time, surprisingly, until recently, companies servicing Russia’s shadow fleet were actively registered here. However, after the publicity surrounding the mass registration of such “auxiliary” companies, they began to be actively inspected and have their licenses revoked.

In Ukraine, Roksolana Pyrtko manages several shopping centers and is a co-founder of several energy companies. It should be noted that her father, Yaroslav Dubnevych, is suspected of embezzlement in the energy sector amounting to 2.1 billion UAH. Detectives from NABU established that enterprises controlled by the MP, owners of the Novoyavorivsk and Novorozdil CHPs, entered into agreements to purchase natural gas from Naftogaz Ukraine for heating purposes for the population. However, the purchased “subsidized” gas was used for their own purposes to produce electricity, which was later sold to the state enterprise “Energorynok” at market prices.

In addition to Yaroslav Dubnevych and his brother Bohdan, the case also involves Roksolana Pyrtko and her husband Mykhailo. A court decision from December 2023 mentions that “non-resident companies Energypoint Holding LTD, ES Energy Invest LTD, and Suntown Projects LTD belonged to Dubnevych, and at the start of the open phase of the pre-trial investigation concerning him… were re-registered to his daughter… ES Energy Invest LTD received funds of presumably criminal origin from LLC ’Energia-Novy Rozdil’ and LLC ’Energia-Novoyavorivsk’ (controlled by the Dubnevych brothers) in the form of interest for loan usage under a scheme bearing signs of money laundering. Subsequently, the aforementioned companies Energypoint Holding LTD and ES Energy Invest LTD ’invested’ in solar energy projects in Ukraine by providing loans to respective Ukrainian ’partners’ (LLC ’NR Solar,’ LLC ’Solar Green Tech,’ LLC ’Tsetulya Solar,’ LLC ’Lig Agro’). Suntown Projects LTD provided loans for real estate construction in Ukraine to a company planning to build shopping and entertainment centers in Lviv, namely LLC ’Lvivbudmax-Invest’… The ultimate beneficial owners of the companies receiving loans from ES Energy Invest LTD are the children of the brothers (Dubnevychs – ed.).”

The same court decision mentions another interesting detail: on March 5, 2022, while crossing the border into Hungary, Roksolana Pyrtko declared in a customs declaration that she had 2.3 million euros with her. The source of income was stated as the sale of real estate. Later, Dubnevych’s daughter’s position changed, and she claimed these were savings kept in a safe deposit box at OTP Bank in Lviv, which were subsequently deposited in Tatra Bank in Slovakia. The investigation found that Roksolana Pyrtko never had a safe deposit box at OTP Bank.

As a result of joint efforts by Ukrainian and Slovak law enforcement, these 2.3 million euros were seized, as their transfer to an account in a Slovak financial institution appeared to be money laundering.

As mentioned earlier, the Pyrtko couple owns the Slovak company V. development & consulting, s. r. o. Journalists have also reported that they purchased a house in Bratislava.

However, this is not the only property they own in Slovakia. According to Ukrainian registries, as of July 2025, Roksolana Pyrtko is the ultimate beneficial owner of the Joint-Stock Company “Closed Non-Diversified Venture Corporate Investment Fund ’Hurricane.’” Roksolana Pyrtko’s registration address is listed as Slovakia, the village of Vysny Kazimyr. The registry extract also mentions the Cypriot offshore company ES Energy Invest LTD, through which the Dubnevychs laundered funds stolen by exploiting subsidized gas.

Looking at the map, it is evident that the village where Roksolana Pyrtko is registered is only 75 kilometers from Uzhhorod. Google Maps shows a large plot of land with a house and several auxiliary buildings at the specified address.

Photos from May 2024 show ATVs on the property and a basketball hoop, which may indicate that children live in the house.

Although Ukrainian registries list Roksolana Pyrtko’s registration as a village in Slovakia, Slovak registries indicate her Ukrainian registration and her husband Mykhailo’s residency in Dubai.

Another interesting individual appearing in Slovak registries is Marian Pyrtko. He is likely Mykhailo Pyrtko’s brother, as both are also listed in the Ukrainian company LLC “Ligo LTD,” which is part of the corporate group of the Dubnevych brothers.

In October 2022, six months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Marian Pyrtko registered a company in Poland called Advance Group.

The company is quite active, dealing in solid and gaseous fuels, among other things. It also actively trades with Ukrainian counterparties in food industry waste residues.

One of the main buyers is the “Vitagro” group, which belongs to MP Serhiy Labazyuk. Notably, Labazyuk was one of the eight MPs who voted against allowing the arrest of Yaroslav Dubnevych in October 2019.

While Ukrainian law enforcement has been searching for MP Yaroslav Dubnevych for years, his daughter and son-in-law are withdrawing assets from Ukraine. To launder money, they use a scheme involving the purchase of real estate and the registration of companies. As a result, over the past few years, Dubnevych’s daughter and son-in-law have acquired two houses in Slovakia and two apartments in Dubai. It is quite possible that the MP himself may be hiding in one of these residences.