Confiscated Hyundai Elantra cars 2025 model year, previously belonging to convicted bloggers Erbolat Zhanabylov and Elmira Tolegenova, have been transferred to state bodies following electronic auctions. The auctions took place on 7 July 2026 via the E-Qazyna portal.
HOW THE AUCTIONS WENT
According to the portal E-Qazyna, eight Hyundai Elantra cars from the 2025 model year in various colours were put up for auction. All cars were previously registered to ZHANA BUSINESS LLP.
The estimated value was approximately 8.395 million tenge per car.
The auctions received the status of "Completed".
WHO COULD GET THE CARS
According to the terms of sale, the property was not offered for transfer to ordinary state legal entities in accordance with Order of the Minister of Finance dated 30.03.2015 No. 227.
Only law enforcement and special state bodies, as well as state bodies ensuring the activities of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, political civil servants, members of Parliament and their offices, could submit applications.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CARS
The cars were on the balance sheet of the Department of State Property and Privatisation of the city of Astana. The description of one of the lots indicates that the car is equipped with two keys and a vehicle registration document, but the spare wheel and standard tool kit are missing. It is also noted that it is not possible to check the technical condition of the vehicle.
CONTEXT
On 27 April, the Inter-district Criminal Court of Astana found Erbolat Zhanabylov and Elmira Tolegenova guilty under Article 214, Part 2, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal Entrepreneurship") and Article 218, Part 2, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Legalisation (Laundering) of Money and (or) Other Property Obtained by Criminal Means").
Erbolat Zhanabylov received a suspended sentence of 2 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property and probation supervision. Elmira Tolegenova was sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment in a minimum-security facility with a 2-year deferral of the sentence due to having young children. The defence stated that it did not intend to appeal the verdict.
According to the investigation, 247 million 653 thousand tenge was received into accounts linked to the online project, and the prizes displayed were purchased using the project participants' funds, despite the impression created in advertising that the prize fund was formed from the organisers' own resources.
