Killed for 8 hours: ex-economy minister on trial in Kazakhstan for the brutal murder of his wife
Kyiv • UNN
Kazakhstan's former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev has been put on trial for the brutal murder of his common-law wife Saltanat Nukenova, who was allegedly tortured for 8 hours before her death.
Former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev is on trial in Astana for the murder of his common-law wife Saltanat Nukenova with particular cruelty. Three sessions have already been held, with the next scheduled for April 3. It will begin with the interrogation of Bishimbayev, who promised to tell his version of the day of Saltanat's death. About it writes UNN with reference to the Kazakh edition Ulys Media.
Details
At the beginning of the extreme court session, which took place on April 1, Bishimbayev apologized to the relatives of the deceased.
It was always very difficult for me at first to realize her death. I want to apologize. I don't expect forgiveness, but it's my responsibility. I realize this is an irreparable loss, and I am complicit in the circumstances.
During the entire court session, the former minister talked about his life with his murdered wife for almost five hours, but he did not get to the episode of the murder. He asked the court to postpone the hearing of this episode to the next session, referring to the fact that he was "tired of talking".
Context
Former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev is accused of murder with particular cruelty of his wife Saltanat Nukenova. He is charged with two articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Article 110, Part 2 ("Torture") and Article 99, Part 2 ("Murder committed with particular cruelty").
The woman was found dead in the BAU restaurant in Astana on November 9 last year. During the trial, Saltanat's mother stated that her daughter had been severely beaten for 8 hours. Ex-officer Bishimbayev does not admit his guilt.
Chronology of court proceedings
The main trial in this case began on March 27 with a jury trial.
At the first court hearing, he stated that he "did not have the opportunity to tell his story at the pre-trial investigation or anywhere else". He and his defense argue that there was no intent to kill on his part.
Along with the former official in the dock is his relative Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, who is charged with concealment and failure to report a crime. At the trial, he admitted that he asked to delete the surveillance videos and take Saltanat Nukenova's phone home to hide the geolocation.
