Kazakhstani President's Swiss Visit a Source of Mystery

Mystery shrouds Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev's upcoming trip to Switzerland, where an investigation into possible corrupt practices of top Kazakhstani officials is ongoing. Officials are tight-lipped about the agenda for Nazarbayev's planned meetings with Swiss officials on January 20-21.

The announcement in early January that Nazarbayev would pay a visit to Switzerland prompted speculation in Kazakhstan, where Nazarbayev is working hard to contain the fallout from a corruption scandal known as "Kazakhgate." [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Bank accounts in Swiss banks held under the names of Nazarbayev and other leading Kazakhstani government officials remain frozen pending the Swiss investigation. A US grand jury is also conducting an inquiry into possible corruption involving Kazakhstani officials. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives].

A January 16 report in the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, citing Marc Bonnant, an attorney representing the Kazakhstani president, said Kazakhgate would likely not be a topic of discussion between Nazarbayev and Swiss Federal President Pascal Couchepin and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey. "I do not think that they are going to speak about it because President Nazarbayev has nothing to do with the affair," Bonnant told the newspaper.

However, a government source in Kazakhstan seemed to contradict the attorney's statement. "Obviously, during the visit the question of investigation will be discussed," the source told EurasiaNet.

What precisely Nazarbayev may discuss with Swiss officials remains a matter of conjecture. The Eurasia web site, which is affiliated with leader Kazakhstani opposition leader Akezhan Kazhegeldin, speculated that Nazarbayev and his lawyers might explore a deal with Swiss investigators under which the Kazakhstani president would be offered immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony against others implicated in the investigation.

The planned visit has prompted protests in both Switzerland and Kazakhstan. According to the Le Temps report the Swiss Green Party planned to issue a statement castigating Nazarbayev for Kazakhstan's deteriorating human rights climate. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Meanwhile, Swiss MP Pia Hollenstein assailed the Swiss government's decision to hold talks with Nazarbayev, given the Kazakhstani government's ongoing crackdown on free speech.

In Kazakhstan, a group of opposition politicians and intellectuals issued an open letter to Calmy-Rey, the foreign minister, asking that the Swiss government reconsider its decision to host Nazarbayev. "It's crystal clear for us, members of the Kazakh democratic public, that Switzerland, where the ideals of democracy, rule of law and human rights are regarded as supreme values, should not welcome at the official level, the authoritiarian president [Nazarbayev]," the letter said.

Overall, Nazarbayev is expected to be in Switzerland from January 20-28. While in the country he is also expected to attend the World Economic Forum held at Davos. A session at the forum concerning Kazakstan's economic prospects is scheduled for January 24