he leading Kazakh media Ulys https://ulysmedia.kz/rassledovaniya/43590-chei-interes-ili-kto-pishet-rekomendatsii-dlia-obshchestvennoi-palaty-mazhilisa-parlamenta/ writes about the scandal surrounding the Parliament of Kazakhstan, which involved the American corporations Apple and Amway. It turned out that both companies used the services of a local lobbyist named Natalia Malyarchuk. Malyarchuk 's work in the Kazakhstan branch of Transparency International in previous years helped her establish connections with large Western corporations. Useful contacts allowed Malyarchuk to make Apple and Amway clients of the little-known but extremely ambitious consulting company Markets Mentor.
Markets Mentor appeared on the market only in the summer of 2023. The founders of the company are former top managers of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), which manages Kazakhstan's largest exchange, Astana International Exchange (AIX). By the way, not only Kazakhstani companies are traded on AIX, but also a number of former Russian companies that decided to change jurisdiction in order to avoid sanctions.
Among the founders of Markets Mentor is the son of Kairat Kelimbetov, the former head of the AIFC. Kelimbetov owes his career to the former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, under whom he held the highest government positions (head of the Presidential administration, vice PM, head of the National Bank). The work of Markets Mentor is financed by the oligarch Timur Turlov, who is called Nazarbayev's "wallet" along with another oligarch Bulat Utemuratov.
By paying solid money to Markets Mentor, Apple and Amway gain access to an opaque system of lobbying their interests in Kazakhstan. Natalia Malyarchuk, as a member of the Public Chamber under the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament), has early access to bills that may affect the extensive interests of the two American corporations.
For example, the Public Chamber formulated amendments to bills in the areas of e-commerce, consumer protection, antitrust law, public procurement and tax regulation that must be considered by deputies. Apparently, the ethics and compliance practices that are typical of Apple and Amway at the global level do not work in Kazakhstan. Foreign corporations believe that they can play by the rules of shadow lobbying, since such is considered the norm in the biggest Central Asian country. But, having become public, such practices for achieving business results can cause companies much greater reputational damage than the unjustified benefits obtained through lobbying schemes.
Markets Mentor appeared on the market only in the summer of 2023. The founders of the company are former top managers of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), which manages Kazakhstan's largest exchange, Astana International Exchange (AIX). By the way, not only Kazakhstani companies are traded on AIX, but also a number of former Russian companies that decided to change jurisdiction in order to avoid sanctions.
Among the founders of Markets Mentor is the son of Kairat Kelimbetov, the former head of the AIFC. Kelimbetov owes his career to the former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, under whom he held the highest government positions (head of the Presidential administration, vice PM, head of the National Bank). The work of Markets Mentor is financed by the oligarch Timur Turlov, who is called Nazarbayev's "wallet" along with another oligarch Bulat Utemuratov.
By paying solid money to Markets Mentor, Apple and Amway gain access to an opaque system of lobbying their interests in Kazakhstan. Natalia Malyarchuk, as a member of the Public Chamber under the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament), has early access to bills that may affect the extensive interests of the two American corporations.
For example, the Public Chamber formulated amendments to bills in the areas of e-commerce, consumer protection, antitrust law, public procurement and tax regulation that must be considered by deputies. Apparently, the ethics and compliance practices that are typical of Apple and Amway at the global level do not work in Kazakhstan. Foreign corporations believe that they can play by the rules of shadow lobbying, since such is considered the norm in the biggest Central Asian country. But, having become public, such practices for achieving business results can cause companies much greater reputational damage than the unjustified benefits obtained through lobbying schemes.
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