She was Kazakhstan’s big-hearted poster girl of philanthropy, the “flood relief queen” who awoke from a coma and decided to pledge the rest of her life to helping others. She was a determined champion to Kazakh families stricken by covid and later to desperate Palestinians helpless in the face of Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. But it was all a mirage, for the glamorous Perizat Kairat—on July 25, sentenced by an Astana court to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of large-scale fraud and money laundering—turned out to be an embezzler using donations to fund a gross and decadent jet-setting lifestyle, complete with luxury cars and real estate and jaunts to Dubai.

‘Awoke from a coma’

From perfect angel to perfect villain, Kairat, along with her mother, Gaini Alashbaeva, were convicted of embezzling around 3.5bn tenge ($6.5mn) from her charitable foundation, Biz Birgemiz Kazakhstan 2030.

In 2020, the year of the first year of the covid pandemic, Kairat told broadcaster KTK that the previous year she lay in a coma for a month after suffering a terrible accident. By her account, after recovering from what could have been fatal injuries, she made up her mind to spend the remainder of her days devoted to charitable fund-raising and giving.

Kairat related how “I started calling my acquaintances, donors, friends. Happily enough, we managed to raise 79 million tenge [approximately $190,000 at 2020 rates]. That was in April and May. During the [covid] outbreak [in Kazakhstan] in July, we raised another 18 million tenge to buy medical supplies… What I’d most like to do is find new ways to help people with disabilities.”

Both Kairat and her mother, who received a seven-year sentence, denied the charges brought against them. TengriNews reported that following a closed court session, Kairat was taken into custody immediately upon sentencing after being told she would serve her prison term in a medium-security penal colony.

Away from her life in the public eye as a committed fundraiser for charitable causes, Perizat Kairat was living a jet-setting lifestyle that included jaunts to Dubai (Credit: Instagram.com/01pk).

“The guilt of Kairat and Alashbayeva in committing fraud as part of a group by prior conspiracy, repeatedly and on a particularly large scale, as well as in laundering money obtained by criminal means, has been fully proven by the collected evidence, the testimony of victims and witnesses, bank statements, and material evidence,” the judge was quoted as saying in the verdict.

Lavish lifestyles

The court found that the defendants’ operated a fraudulent charitable foundation that directed funds for causes, such as the victims of the spring 2024 floods in Kazakhstan, to finance lavish personal lifestyles. 

“In the court’s opinion, the crime committed is marked by extreme cynicism, undermines the foundations of Kazakhstani society—namely tolerance and compassion for those in need—and has caused citizens to question the necessity of doing good deeds,” the verdict stated. 

The sentence cited several aggravating factors, including the commissioning of crimes during a state of emergency and the failure to compensate for the damages caused. The court ruled that imprisonment was a “fair punishment” given the particularly large-scale financial harm and societal impact.

Ruling party candidate

In 2021, Kairat stood as a candidate in the primaries of ruling party Nur Otan (now Amanat) as part of a national push toward candidate selection reform. Although her political career did not advance, she remained active in civil society, eventually heading Biz Birgemiz Kazakhstan 2030.

The foundation initially gained public trust partly due to its promotion on fintech company Kaspi.kz’s platform and its perceived links to government institutions. Some donors believed they were contributing to a state-backed initiative.

Earlier, reports said that the investigators determined that Biz Birgemiz Kazakhstan 2030 was registered at the address of a “gaming club” and that its founding documents were allegedly forged.

Told court to ‘bring in the founders’

During the trial Kairat, demanded that the court bring in the “founders” of Biz Birgemiz Kazakhstan for questioning – she claimed former Almaty mayor and ex-first deputy chairman of the Amanat Party, Bauyrzhan Baybek, led the initiative behind the creation of the foundation. She further alleged that other members of the ruling party were also among the founders of the initiative.

Various officials have been linked to the organisation through public acknowledgements and event participation, not as founders.

During Kairat’s trial, prosecutors stated that out of KZT 566mn raised for humanitarian aid to Gaza, only KZT 7.4mn was transferred as intended. The rest was reportedly used to purchase a Mercedes-Benz EQE and an apartment in Sensata Plaza. During the 2024 floods, the foundation allegedly collected KZT 2.86bn, some of which was spent on designer clothing, jewellery and international travel ––the purchases also included a Lexus and a Mercedes Benz S450.

Testimony from multiple witnesses supported the prosecution’s claims. Askhat Nurmashev, head of the Asar-Ume foundation, said his organisation transferred hundreds of millions of tenge to Biz Birgemiz Qazaqstan for Gaza relief, but the funds never reached their destination. Financial documents later submitted by Kairat were confirmed to be forgeries.

Accountant Altyn Musina testified she prepared financial reports for both the foundation and a flower shop, Rebel Flowers, through which prosecutors alleged over KZT 1bn was laundered. She said the flower shop was legally registered under Alashbayeva’s name but was operated by Kairat.

Additional witnesses included a car seller who testified to selling a Mercedes E500 to Kairat, and a Nazarbayev Intellectual School teacher who said her institution donated KZT2.9mn for flood relief. A representative from a private company confirmed a KZT200mn transfer to the foundation, stating that they believed the fund was affiliated with the state.

Undermining of public trust