From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Nov 11 2004 - 09:27:07 EST
Kazakh TV names "megaholdings", major entrepreneurs
Kazakh Channel 31 TV named the so-called "megaholdings" and rich
businessmen in its "Sostoyaniye KZ" programme broadcast at 1120 gmt on 9
November.
President Nazarbayev told the new parliament on 3 November that about 10
megaholdings in the country had control over almost 80 per cent of the
country's GDP. These holdings, the president said, carry out a number of
non-core activities via their subsidiaries, which result in their
activities being inefficient and non-transparent.
The programme said that a preliminary list of megaholdings drawn up by
the Kazakh Development Institute included the Eurasian Industrial
Association, the country's major banks - Kazkommertsbank, Bank TuranAlem
and People's
(Halyk) Bank, the KazMunayGaz national oil and gas company, the Kaztsink
corporation, the Bisko food company and the Khabar media company.
Analysts say that the number one oligarchic structure is the Eurasian
Industrial Association, which includes the Alyuminiy Kazakhstana and
Kazkhrom aluminium and chromium companies, a bank and many other
enterprises. The association is linked to Aleksandr Mashkevich, the TV
said. However, the TV said that the association's non-core assets
accounted for only 1 per cent.
The programme also featured entrepreneur Maral Tampiyev and said over
video of Taypiyev playing billiards that billiards was one of his eight
sources of revenue.
The TV said Tampiyev supported the president's idea of selling off the
non-core businesses of megaholdings to small and medium businesses and
that entrepreneurs had money to buy non-core businesses.
"I believe that businessmen have got at least 25bn dollars in their
hands at the moment," Tampiyev said. "They are ready to invest about 20
per cent of that, i.e. 5bn dollars, already today."
The programme also featured other entrepreneurs.
It said that Raimbek Batalov owned "several plants, factories, grain
storage facilities, mills and a publishing house" and that his assets
were valued at over 150m dollars.
Former ichthyologist Nurlan Smagulov's empire is made up of car-selling,
grain and construction businesses, the TV said, adding that he described
himself as a representative of medium-sized business.
Artush Karapetyan used to be an exemplary worker in the Soviet alcoholic
drinks industry but now he is a major producer of alcoholic drinks, the
TV said over video of Karapetyan holding a bottle of Bakhus brandy. It
said that his plant paid 1bn tenge (about 8m dollars) in taxes a year to
the budget.
(Two reports on the programme ran to about 10 minutes. No further
processing
planned)
Source: Channel 31 TV, Almaty, in Russian 1120 gmt 9 Nov 04
BBC Mon CAU 101104 sgm/nb
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