Kazakh leader’s daughter monitored U.S. bribe case

politics

Kazakh leader’s daughter monitored U.S. bribe case

By SRI ⋅ May 14, 2008 ⋅

The daughter of Kazakhstan’s president used well-connected Washington private security consultants to gather information on a U.S. bribery probe involving her father that has stymied the nation’s access to $84 million in disputed funds.

The efforts of Dariga Nazarbayeva, the Kazakh president’s daughter, to learn more about the probe shines a light on the role of such private consultants, often former intelligence, military and law-enforcement officials, who monitor government activities for potential risk on behalf of clients. It also highlights the sensitive situation this could create for government officials.

In a filing last year in a Manhattan federal court, federal officials alleged that the $84 million stems from bribes paid by U.S. companies to Kazakhstan’s president and other top officials for access to Kazakhstan’s rich energy reserves. The government has ordered the money frozen in Swiss bank accounts while the investigation continues. The government of Kazakhstan hasn’t contested the claim and signed a settlement agreement containing the allegations.

By Glenn R. Simpson, Susan Schmidt and Mary Jacoby (Wall Street Journal)