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Member of Parliament Bakytzhan Bazarbek has urged for stronger oversight of court proceedings and the repatriation of water bodies to state ownership. Highlighting the situation in the Almaty region, Bazarbek pointed out instances where reservoirs have fallen into private hands.

Water Resources Returned to the State

Bazarbek stated that while the Constitution affirms natural resources belong to the people and are managed by the state on their behalf, some water resources have indeed ended up in private possession. He noted that in certain court cases, the state's position has prevailed, leading to the annulment of prior transactions deemed illegal. However, he expressed concern over inconsistent judicial practices, as other similar cases have resulted in opposing decisions.

The Almaty Region Situation

The MP shared that investigations into the illegal alienation of water resources in the Almaty region have reached the courts, with some rulings favoring the state. "Four major reservoirs in the Almaty region were illegally transferred to one person during the time of Bolat Nazarbayev. This happened with his assistance. Now, these reservoirs have been returned to state ownership," Bazarbek explained.

He also pointed to counterexamples in judicial practice. Specifically, in cases concerning the return of lands within the water protection zones of the Kapshagay Reservoir, courts acknowledged identified violations but refused to satisfy the claims of state bodies in other similar proceedings. Bazarbek reminded that, according to the Land and Water Codes, these territories cannot be privately owned, and therefore, such cases should be treated uniformly.

Appeal to the Prosecutor General

"Of course, we can endlessly debate the personal beliefs of judges and courts, but the requirements of the law, namely the Land and Water Codes, are clear: water resource objects and lands cannot be privately owned. Why is it so difficult to return illegally alienated water resource lands in the Almaty region through the courts, with the involvement of land commissions, us, and even oligarchs? The law should be the same for everyone; there should be no special justice for oligarchs," he stated.

In light of this, the deputy requested the Prosecutor General to take special control over the claims related to the return of lands within the water resource zones of the Kapshagay Reservoir and the Ili River to state ownership. Furthermore, Bazarbek proposed filing additional claims for 65 land plots based on inspection results, declaring transactions invalid, and revoking property rights.

This was reported by the information agency Infohub.kz.