NUR-SULTAN -- The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office says a transportation company co-founded by the sister of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev is suspected of committing "numerous crimes" with regard to customs declarations.
The Prosecutor-General's Office released a list of enterprises on May 3 that allegedly committed crimes, including the transport firm Group of The Companies Tda, which was co-founded by Anipa Nazarbaeva and Ali Qylyshpaev, the company's official director.
According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, Qylyshpaev and his company are suspected of illegally transporting to and from Kazakhstan goods worth of 585 million tenges ($1.3 million).
Separately on May 3, the Anti-Corruption Agency said it fired Erbol Nazarbaev, one of the former president's nephews, last month. No details were given.
President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has been distancing himself from Nazarbaev and his extended family after they left the tightly controlled oil-rich country's political scene following unprecedented, deadly anti-government protests in January.
Nazarbaev, 81, resigned as president in 2019, picking longtime ally Toqaev as his successor. But he retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council, enjoying almost limitless powers as "elbasy" -- the leader of the nation.
Meanwhile, many of his relatives continued to hold important posts in the government, security agencies, and profitable energy groups.
Last month, Kazakh authorities said they are going to revoke the title of elbasy from Nazarbaev by introducing changes to the constitution.
In January, protests that started over a fuel price hike spread across Kazakhstan because of discontent over the cronyism that had long plagued the country. Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of the Security Council role, taking it over himself.
Just days after the protests, Nazarbaev's two sons-in-law, Qairat Sharipbaev and Dimash Dosanov, were pushed out of top jobs at two major state companies, QazaqGaz and KazTransOil, respectively.
Sharipbaev is widely known to be married to Nazarbaev's eldest daughter, Darigha. Dosanov is the husband of Nazarbaev's youngest daughter, Alia.
The National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Atameken, announced the resignation of its chairman, Timur Kulibaev, who is also Nazarbaev's son-in-law, while in late February Darigha Nazarbaeva said that she was giving up her parliamentary seat.
Others connected to Nazarbaev have also been arrested or pushed out of their corporate chairs.
Toqaev has said publicly he wants Nazarbaev's associates to share their wealth with the public by making regular donations to a new charity foundation.