KNB HEAD STEPS DOWN FOLLOWING ARRESTS IN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 000761 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EB/ESC; SCA/CEN (MUDGE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2015 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PTER KZ POLITICAL SUBJECT: KNB HEAD STEPS DOWN FOLLOWING ARRESTS IN SARSENBAIULY MURDER CASE REF: ALMATY 717 Classified By: DCM MARK ASQUINO FOR REASONS 1.4(B) and (D) ¶1. (U) Summary: On February 22, two days after the arrest of five KNB officers in the Sarsenbaiuly murder case (reftel), Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev accepted the resignation of Committee of National Security (KNB) Chairman Nartai Dutbayev. According to press reports, KNB Vice Chairman Kozy Korpesh has also tendered his resignation, and KNB First Vice Chairman Vladimir Bozhko was appointed as the acting chairman of the KNB. End Summary. ¶2. (S) Although he developed a good working relationship with the U.S., Dutbayev was considered one of the more Russian-leaning officials in the KNB. Whether the individual chosen to replace Dutbayev is Western-leaning or Russia-centric may be an indication of where President Nazarbayev is looking for future security cooperation. Whoever replaces Dutbayev is likely to face political pressure to reform the KNB, or at least appear to reform the organization. ¶3. (U) Given that the five alleged kidnappers of Sarsenbaiuly and his two associates were all members of the KNB's "Arystan" paramilitary team, some parliamentarians, including presidential daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, are calling for the disbanding of Arystan, in addition to the sacking of the senior KNB leadership. Reportedly, the leader of the Arystan team, Major General Satzhan Koyakov, has also tendered his resignation. ¶4. (C) The Arystan anti-terrorist group was formed in October 1990 as part of the USSR's Alfa regional subdivision. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this special forces group was transformed into an independent unit of the Republic of Kazakhstan and was renamed Arystan ("lion" in Kazakh.) The disbanding of this team appears unrealistic as it is Kazakhstan's elite force for combating terrorism and extremism, which is one of the GOK's highest priorities. A restructuring or renaming of this unit could be carried out to give the appearance of a shake-up. ¶5. (S) The Embassy Branch Office (EBO) in Astana heard from a reliable source that Vice Minister of Justice Sergey Nikolayevich Magda is a leading candidate to replace Dutbayev. Magda, who has a long history with the KGB/KNB and who is well respected as a competent, honest, intelligent leader, is a good EBO contact. This information is speculative, but comes from a close source to Magda. ¶6. (S) Magda was appointed Vice Minister of Justice in late July 2005. From 1991-2005, he worked in the Presidential Security Service (PSS),rising through the ranks by merit to eventually lead the Department of Analysis and Operations. He graduated from the law Faculty of Kazakh National University in 1985, and attended the KGB University in Minsk from 1989-1990. He is believed to have been a KGB officer from 1985 until he joined the PSS, retaining close ties to his classmates and former colleagues. ¶7. (S) One month into his term as Vice Minister of Justice, Magda reached out to POLOFF to discuss potential cooperation on prison reform. Magda was very candid that he had been brought over from the PSS to flush out pockets of corruption and incompetence in the prison system. He noted that the biggest challenge was in undoing patterns reinforced by personnel who had worked in the same jobs since Soviet times. He was frank about the need for advanced training and exposure to Western norms, though he noted that every country had challenges in maintaining penitentiary operations, citing Abu Ghraib as an example of U.S. problems. Magda has continued to be and accessible contact for EBO on a variety of issues, both officially and informally. ¶8. (S) Magda is well respected as a fair manager by those who work for him. Those who work with him laterally consider him a team player. Magda appears to have the trust of the President, who is rumored to have put him at the MOJ with a mandate to keep Minister Baliyeva on track. He is usually described as a "clean" official who is not associated with organized crime and is not corrupt. ASQUINO