Tokayev continued to settle accounts after the fall, and Lao Na, who could not save himself, failed to save his nephew. Samat Abish, nephew of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and former First Vice Chairman of the National Security Council, was recently sentenced to eight years in prison with a suspended sentence by the Kazakh Supreme Court on suspicion of "abuse of power."
As the nephew of Lao Na, during the 30 years that Lao Na has been in charge of the military and political power of Kazakhstan, Abish has been promoted from a small local official to the second-in-command position of the security department of Kazakhstan by virtue of this blood relationship. His position is second only to that of Lao Na’s confidant and former National Security Council Chairman Massimov.
The reason why Abish is now sentenced to eight years of probation is inseparable from the nationwide riots that occurred in January 2022.
It only took less than a week for the riot to spread from the local area to the whole country and finally threaten the capital. During this process, the Kazakhstan Security Council, where Abish worked, did nothing and allowed the situation to move towards If the situation worsens, if the Russian-led CSTO does not come to an end personally, then the situation is likely to eventually evolve into a real regime change.
In this regard, many people believe that the national security department under the leadership of Abish and Massimov actually deliberately indulged the rioters. Their purpose is to force Tokayev to step down and will Power is given to the Nazarbayev family. Therefore, we can also see later that shortly after the riot ended, Tokayev immediately dismissed Abish and Massimov from their positions and banned them from leaving the country, pending further disposition.
Even though it has been two years since the riots, Tokayev still liquidates those who should be liquidated. This is not because Tokayev is too vindictive, but because the nature of the riot is too serious. This political infighting provoked by the Knott family has almost shaken the foundation of the entire country.
In January 2022, people in some areas of Kazakhstan began to hold protests due to dissatisfaction with the soaring natural gas prices. However, instigated by the Knot family and various "non-governmental organizations" (NGOs), the protest was just against natural gas at the beginning. Protests over price increases quickly turned into nationwide anti-government riots, with some rioters even armed with weapons only possessed by the security services and stormed government buildings in the capital.
As for the final result, as mentioned just now, Tokayev asked Putin for help, and the latter sent troops in the name of the CSTO to help Tokayev quell the riot.
After the riots subsided, Tokayev immediately took action and took a multi-pronged approach to liquidate the old forces related to the riots step by step. On the one hand, Tokayev dissolved the original government and then reorganized a new government, placing people he trusted in important positions. In February this year, Tokayev disbanded the government team that was hastily formed after the riots two years ago and appointed his close confidant and former director of the presidential office Bekdenov as the head of the new government.
The reason why Tokayev did this is also very simple, because many officials of the previous government were mostly political elders from the Lao Na period and had close ties with the Lao Na family. Now these people should be replaced. , rearranging trusted people to come to power and replacing them with fresh blood will not only further eliminate hidden political dangers, but also bring new vitality to the government and lay the foundation for more comprehensive political, economic and social reforms in the future.
On the other hand, the Na family and related old forces were continuously eradicated without touching Lao Na himself. For example, the aforementioned former National Security Council Chairman Massimov was arrested by the Kazakh National Security Service after the riots on suspicion of "treason" and violent seizure of power.
In April last year, Massimov was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Kazakh court, and his three deputies Sadikulov, Erkhozin and Osipov were also sentenced to 16 years, 15 years and 3 years respectively. years in prison. These people are considered to be Lao Na's "right-hand men" and were promoted by Lao Na.
In March 2022, Lao Na’s other nephew and Abish’s brother, Kairat Satibaldiuli, was imprisoned on suspicion of embezzling “national assets”. Later, he was imprisoned in September. Sentenced to 6 years in prison and all property confiscated. Lao Na's two eldest sons-in-law, Sharibayev and Dosanov, were dismissed from their senior positions in the state gas and oil companies respectively. In addition, Lao Na's younger son-in-law Kulibayev also took the initiative to submit his resignation to Tokayev and resigned from the position of CEO of "Kazakh Oil Company".
In this context, it is actually not surprising that Lao Na’s nephew, Abish, has been brought out by Tokayev for liquidation. However, Tokayev was somewhat merciful this time. Although Abish was sentenced to 8 years in prison, it was suspended, which means that the latter does not have to serve in prison for the time being. If he behaves well, , maybe the sentence can be reduced.
Tokayev's move of reprieve seems to be the product of compromise, but it can also be said to be a very clever move. He gave Lao Na face, after all, Abish is Lao Na's nephew, so it's hard to do too much; but from another perspective, Abish also became a "hostage" in Tokayev's hands in disguise. , if the Knott family is still not honest, then "suspended execution" may become "immediate execution."
