The trial of the case of ex-Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who is accused of murdering his common-law wife Saltanat Nukenova, continues in the Astana City Court of Justice, correspondence and notes from Saltanat’s phone were read out in the courtroom, Orda.kz reports.
What the …
Bishimbayev’s defenders persistently petitioned for the contents of Saltanat Nukenova’s phone to be examined. What they most wanted was to have photo galleries on display in the courtroom.
“Please look at the photographs only, nothing more. Only for those periods that are included in the indictment,” lawyer Leila Ramazanova petitioned.
According to her, these photos will confirm how they went on vacation together.
The brother of the deceased, Aitbek Amangeldy, objected, saying that on an iPhone you can easily replace photos and upload them later, putting in the desired date.
The lawyer of the injured party, Zhanna Urazbakhova, recalled that Bishimbayev had the password to Saltanat’s phone, and besides, the phone itself fell from the hands of the defendant into the hands of the investigation only a few days after the murder.
“It was Bishimbayev himself who told the investigators the password for the iPhone. It was not the investigation that revealed it, but he himself. Since he viewed it regularly, he could delete some correspondence. This is also evidenced by the previously disclosed correspondence between Saltanat Nukenova and her brother: “Keep it for yourself. I’m deleting” (we are talking about a photo of Saltanat’s face with beatings – Ed.) It follows from this that Nukenova, since her husband had the password, was afraid that he will see this photo. Therefore, she could delete some photos on her phone that showed her bodily injuries,” the lawyer said.
As a result, Judge Aizhan Kulbaeva decided that the photos would not be shown on the big screen; only participants in the trial would be able to view them in the courtroom.
After examining the photo, state prosecutor Aizhan Aimaganova voiced the correspondence between Saltanat Nukenova and Kuandyk Bishimbayev on WhatsApp.
In her contacts, Bishimbayev was written down as “My love.”
Saltanat writes to her common-law husband that she took sleeping pills and is going to bed. In response, he sends her a geolocation, which apparently shows that she is in Astana.
A short dialogue took place between them.
- Bishimbayev: “Why are you turning on geo? (geolocation – Ed.)”
- Nukenova: “It’s been like this for 1000 years”
- Bishimbayev: “I don’t see you”
- Nukenova: “There’s no Wi-Fi in this room, you know. But 4G doesn’t turn on, I don’t know why.”
Then the state prosecutor turned on a voice message from Bishimbayev, and the entire courtroom heard obscene language:
“Why write to everyone that you are in Almaty, if you have been like this for 1000 years? What the hell… addressed to me?
Saltanat Nukenova justifies himself in correspondence: “It costs (geolocation) a year before you, if not more.”
Bishimbayev again sends a voicemail:
“This is a standard story – “I forgot, I didn’t remember, I forgot how to say.” Why is this? It just feels like it’s too much sometimes.”
Hello, zhanym
After the correspondence, the state prosecutor voiced the notes that Saltanat Nukenova took on her phone. In them, the deceased vividly characterized her relationship with her common-law husband.
“Hello, zhanym. I look at the photo and my heart hurts. I love you and appreciate everything you have done for me, and I also see all your efforts and efforts. But I’m tired of forced showdowns, constant proof of my love and excuses. This is not life, I’m not your toy, it’s not your child to constantly scare me. I’m not weak-minded, if you haven’t noticed, and I don’t want to listen to what and how I need to do 24/7,” writes Saltanat.
Further, Saltanat shares with his “personal diary” on his phone that after every quarrel with Bishimbayev he experiences severe stress and takes a day to come to his senses.
“And then I need to mind my own business, meet you with a smile, and God forbid I be tired. In order for love and marriage to bring long-term happiness, we need a foundation of trust and respect, otherwise there is no point in our efforts, everything will collapse like a house of cards. We need to learn to support each other, and not fight each other like two idiots,” notes Saltanat Nukenova.
She writes that the happiness and tranquility of her common-law spouse is important to her, that she loves him and will try to work on herself.
There were other, more disturbing notes on the deceased’s phone.
“I’m leaving for Pavlodar for good. There are no feelings, I don’t want to save anything and can’t. You didn’t apologize for your betrayal. He blamed me for everything and insisted on seeing a psychotherapist. You’re so blind I can’t stand it. Sorry, forget it. “For myself, I put a final point,” writes Saltanat Nukenova after another quarrel.
When this text was read out, Bishimbayev persistently asked to be allowed to testify. He stated that it was not he who was jealous of Saltanat, but she who was jealous of him. And her words about cheating allegedly confirm this.
In another note, Saltanat characterizes Bishimbayev’s behavior in his family:
“You terrorized them, and the children already saw everything. You believed everyone, but not me. That I regret leaving. This is because of old patterns due to the fact that I was stressed endlessly. And in Almaty I was stressed and just wanted to get some sleep.”
She points out that through Bishimbayeva’s efforts “she looked bad in front of everyone.” She argues that she is not officially married and is not protected.
Regarding the mention of the terror he organized, Kuandyk Bishimbayev stated:
“Every evening she made a scene for me. Everyone hissed at us and said that the two of us should move somewhere away from people.”
In addition, other correspondence, notes and call data were read in the courtroom. It turned out that Kuandyk Bishimbayev often called Saltanat at two or three in the morning, writing messages demanding to pick up the phone.
Kuandyk Bishimbayev is accused of murder committed with extreme cruelty (clause 5, part 2 of Article 99 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan), as well as torturing his common-law wife (clause 1, part 2 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Bishimbayev’s cousin, Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, director of the Gastrocenter, is accused of concealment (Article 432 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and failure to report a crime (Article 434 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Saltanat Nukenova was found dead on November 9, 2023 in the capital’s BAU restaurant, which is located in the Gastrocenter. On the same day, Kuandyk Bishimbayev was detained on November 9, 2023 on suspicion of murder.
Preliminary hearings in the case began on March 11, 2024. Kuandyk Bishimbayev and his lawyers insisted on having the case heard by a jury. The court granted their requests.
The main jury trial began on March 27. For the first time, a live broadcast was organized on Youtube from the courtroom.
The trial is ongoing. Orda.kz is monitoring developments.
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