Almaty's New Mayor Faces Conflict of Interest Questions

Almaty's New Mayor and the Brothers' Business Empire: A Conflict of Interest? Almaty, Kazakhstan, is facing scrutiny over the appointment of its new mayor, Darhan Satybaldy. Concerns have been raised regarding the business interests of Satybaldy's brothers, who own several construction companies in the city. This raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, particularly given the scale of construction projects in Almaty. In a recent government press briefing, Minister Ersayin Nagaspayev addressed these concerns, announcing new mechanisms to increase ministerial oversight of urban planning. "Now we've implemented a mechanism where not only local executive bodies will make changes to detailed planning and general plans," Nagaspayev stated. "We are now in the final stages of connecting our departmental organization, GosEkspertiza, which is controlled by the ministry." This move follows the recent dismissal of the previous mayor, Yerbolat Dosayev, on May 24th. The situation highlights the ongoing debate in Kazakhstan about transparency and accountability in government. The new measures aim to ensure that urban development decisions are made in the best interests of the city, not just those of connected businesses.