Tokhtar Tuleshov, the former owner of Shymkentpivo who was convicted in 2016, has filed a petition to have his case reclassified under less severe articles of the Criminal Code. This was reported by infohub.kz.
His lawyer, Ydyrys Abishev, stated that the petition has been submitted to the Abai District Court of the Karaganda Region. It is based on Article 6 of the Criminal Code, which provides for the retroactive effect of a law that improves the position of a convicted person.
According to the defense, at the time of sentencing, Tuleshov's actions were classified under the articles of the Criminal Code of 1997 in their old version, as they did not worsen his position. However, since then, changes have been made to the legislation, including the articles under which Tuleshov was convicted. Due to the decriminalization of some qualifying features, his actions may now be reclassified under less severe parts of the articles.
The lawyer also noted that he does not face difficulties in defending Tuleshov and called the question of what the defense expects premature.
Recall that Tokhtar Tuleshov was sentenced in 2016 by the specialized inter-district military court to 21 years in a strict-regime colony with confiscation of property. He was charged with preparing a coup d'état. During his arrest in January 2016, firearms, narcotic substances, and literature were seized from him. He was also accused of illegal trafficking of psychotropic substances, financing a criminal group, and creating a transnational criminal organization.
In 2017, he was found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to five years in a maximum-security colony, as well as ordered to pay over 1.4 billion tenge to the state.
The current owner of the Shymkent brewery, Tursengali Alaguzov, in a 2025 interview with Kursiv, said that he acquired the enterprise in February 2024 from Timur Zhanabaev for 8 billion tenge. Since then, he has invested $40 million in the plant, including $15 million for the construction of new premises with an area of 20,000 square meters and $7 million for a workshop for the production of soft drinks.
Alaguzov, the owner of Galanz Bottlers, is also known for giving apartments to his employees: in May 2025, 100 apartments, and in May 2026, another 50. His wife, Bayan Alaguzova, proposed giving 100 apartments annually.
Tursengali Alaguzov ranks 58th in the Forbes list of the richest Kazakhs with a fortune of $160 million. He owns a majority stake in Galanz Bottlers, as well as the companies Shymkent Brewery and JFood Kazakhstan (formerly TsESNA-Astyk Concern).
The head of the Shymkent brewery, Arsen Alaguzov, the entrepreneur's son, previously said that when the plan is fulfilled, he earns more than in Moscow, where he worked before.