Yelzhas Otynshiyev, chairman of the board of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company JSC, is among those detained on suspicion of committing a corruption-related crime. Kazakhstan's National Security Committee reported the detentions, saying the heads of two major national companies had been taken into custody, according to infohub.kz.
The National Security Committee said earlier that investigative actions were under way to establish all the circumstances of the case.
Otynshiyev was appointed head of KTZ in July 2026. According to Samruk-Kazyna, he holds bachelor's and master's degrees in general and applied physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
He began his career in 2007 as a consultant in the business valuation and transaction support department at the Moscow office of Ernst & Young. From 2009 to 2019 he worked at Samruk-Kazyna JSC and its subsidiaries.
In 2021–2023 he held senior positions at KIDF, where he oversaw investment portfolio management.
From April 2023 until now he served as managing director for strategy and asset management and as a member of the board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC. In that role he was responsible for managing the fund's portfolio companies in the oil and gas, railway, mining and other sectors.
Since February 2024 he has been a member of the board of directors of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company JSC.
In 2023 he was awarded the Republic of Kazakhstan's state medal "Yeren Yenbegi Ushin" (For Distinguished Labor).