Kazakh businessman Shokanov: business can become the prey of “bandits from Russia” 
Aty Nursultan Shokanov announced that he would seek the most severe punishment for the Russian businessman Viktor Balashov, who is in a pre-trial detention center in Kazakhstan. The recording of his speech in court was handed over to the Lenta.ru editorial board by Viktor's mother Irina Balashova.
Shokanov believes that Balashov's acquittal will become a dangerous precedent, since “the blood and sweat of Kazakhstani entrepreneurs can become the subject of embezzlement and raiding, and domestic business – the prey of bandits from Russia. ”
The politician and entrepreneur sees a threat to Kazakh business in Russian officials and their managers. “This sets a dangerous precedent. Anyone can come and take away what they have acquired, ”Shokanov said. He also spoke about the desire of “Russian investors” to take his life.
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Earlier in his last speech, Balashov compared the attitude towards Russians in Kazakhstan to Nazism. He stated that he had repeatedly heard from Shokanov the phrase “This is Kazakhstan, the Russians do not breathe here”. The court session was attended by the Russian consul-adviser Artem Oganov.
Viktor Balashov, who worked in Kazakhstan as a top manager of the largest Russian manufacturer of workwear Vostok-Service, was the victim of a business scandal between the company's management represented by Dmitry Golovnev and local partner Nursultan Shokanov. In September, the Kazakh authorities placed the Russian in a pre-trial detention center, and during the last court hearing, the prosecutor's office requested 11 years in prison for him.
According to Balashov's mother, the defense was able to fully prove the fabrication of the criminal case against her son, but the chances of winning are very small. At the same time, she pointed out that Viktor is constantly being pressured by the investigation and by Shokanov himself, who allegedly belongs to the clan of the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.