Today, a trial began in case No. 2 of the Bostandyk District Court of Almaty concerning the criminal case of the former editor-in-chief of ORDA, Gulnar Bazhkenova, who stated to journalists before the hearing that she transferred up to 20 million tenge per month to individual entrepreneur accounts for the subsequent payment of part of employees' salaries in cash.
WHAT BAZHKENOVA SAID ABOUT SALARY PAYMENTS
According to Bazhkenova, the need to pay part of the salary in cash arose after a change in the company's funding structure. She said that from the end of 2024 and throughout 2025, she transferred 10–20 million tenge each month to the accounts of IP Islam Abdukaparov, after which the money was withdrawn in cash and handed over to the accounting department for payment to employees.
"I tried to pay 50% in cash. Throughout 2025, starting from the end of 2024, I transferred 10 million, 15 million, 20 million to the individual entrepreneur each month. And I paid this money to the employees," Bazhkenova stated to journalists.
She also recounted the content of the interrogation of the businessman, who, according to her, confirmed to the investigation that he withdrew the money from ATMs and handed it over to the accountant for salary payments. At the same time, Bazhkenova emphasised that the responsibility for this payment method lies solely with her as the manager, and that the employees and accountant merely carried out the decisions she made.
WHAT BAZHKENOVA SAID ABOUT THE MONEY FOUND DURING THE SEARCH
During her conversation with journalists, the former editor-in-chief of ORDA also commented on the 40 million tenge in cash found during the search.
According to her, the accountant immediately explained to the investigators that these funds had been prepared for paying salaries and fees to employees. Bazhkenova claims that the money, which was in the company safe, was intended specifically for this purpose.
Furthermore, according to Bazhkenova, the investigation views these funds as an item of the accusation, whereas, in her version, they were intended for payments to workers.
WHAT CHARGES ARE BEING CONSIDERED BY THE COURT
The criminal case against Bazhkenova is being considered under Articles 189, 214 and 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She has been charged with embezzlement or misappropriation of another's property, illegal entrepreneurship and dissemination of knowingly false information. She is under house arrest pending trial.
During today's statement, Bazhkenova also mentioned that the charge under the article on disseminating false information includes eight episodes.
HOW THE CASE DEVELOPED
As a reminder, the criminal case against the former editor-in-chief of ORDA was initiated in December 2025. At that time, law enforcement agencies conducted searches of her apartment and the editorial office, and later the court placed Bazhkenova under house arrest as a preventive measure.
On the eve of the trial, the co-founder of ORDA, Maksat Ganiyev, stated that he is not seeking a real custodial sentence for Bazhkenova. According to him, his demands relate to the return of funds, and an audit revealed financial problems pertaining to the previous period of the editorial office's operations.
PREVIOUS LEGAL DISPUTES OF ORDA
This is not the first court case related to the activities of ORDA.
In July 2024, the court ordered the publication to pay Ratel 3.69 million tenge in a plagiarism case. Later, Gulnar Bazhkenova attempted to appeal this decision and sought a reduction in the amount of compensation.
Even earlier, ORDA lost a legal dispute with journalist Dmitry Shishkin, who also claimed unlawful use of his materials. Several years earlier, the founder of FBRK, Kirill Pavlov, also publicly reported cases of plagiarism by ORDA.
