Life is complicated, yet fun. Only recently I had an opportunity to tell a story about an erupted in our outskirts a Deputy from the Russian LDPR-party, Ashot Egiazaryane, who escaped from Moscow because of charges of fraud and who is now hanging out in California, fooling as a second Khodorkovskiy and requests political asylum. And here is a no less entertaining story about a Kazakh boy, Daniyar Nazarbayev. Also a complicated one... absurdly.
In 2006, a young citizen of the independent Kazakhstan arrived to New York. He was shining around with his sounding last name and loaded with unbelievable amounts of cash that was an easy pray for experienced people here.
In October 2006, New York Post wrote that Daniyar Nazarbayev, who was named in the publication as "the son of the President Nursultan Nazarbayev", acquired couple of apartments located at 55 Wall Street. One of the apartments with two bedrooms cost $2.9 million, and the other one located below, with only one bedroom, was $2.1 million. I don't know either it's true or rumors, but the press reported that "the President Nazarbayev personally visited the house, when attended the UN summit, and then, apparently, approved the purchase". It smells like really big money.
Among the first wishing to join the newfound loot were the Ivy Success consultants. For $200,000 they committed to help the young newcomer to enroll into one of the eight Ivy League universities, either to Harvard, or to Yale... Even so, the amount is still unbelievable. After all, we are speaking about tutoring, top rate for which is $50 per hour for a hundred hours a month. They probably wouldn't ask for more if it wouldn't be for the royal last name of the applicant. It's apparent that it wasn't only New York Post that decided that Daniyar was the son of the everlasting President of Kazakhstan. Newly appeared prince was mysteriously silent that only confirmed his rumored royal origin.
After receiving their $200,000 the Ivy Success consultants for some reason lost interest in the young man and stopped loving him for this money, declaring that he is not ready for the Ivy League universities. They, however, did not return the money, which led to a lawsuit. Those days the American press mocked comparing cini-nutcase from Kazakhstan "Borat" and very real Kazakhs, Daniyar and his mother Mayra Nazarbayeva, who made a bad shot in a such an easy case. However, Daniyar is a stubborn kid and managed to enroll into an Ivy League Columbia University and will be graduating within the next few days.
And this is where the fun begins because Daniyar Nazarbayev is not Nazarbayev, and his documents proving his secondary education that were the basis for enrolling into the university – excuse me for bad manners – are pure crap. Having said that, his mother Mayra also doesn't have such a sounding last name and with whom the Kazakh law enforcement agencies would love to talk to due to her wide range of life adventures every now and then being in conflict with the Kazakh laws. Generally speaking, cine Kazakh Borat is out of competition...
Let's begin with Daniyar. By the time he was admitted to the Columbia University, he had two school diplomas – Diploma from Leysin American School (Switzerland), issued in 2005, which did not give him the right to attend an institution of higher education as it was incomplete, and a High School Diploma, issued in the same 2005 by the high school (gymnasium) in a small town Talgar in Almaty District in Kazakhstan. Don't ask me how it is possible to simultaneously study in Switzerland and Kazakhstan – I don't know. Ask Daniyar – he is a step away from receiving his bachelor's degree and perhaps he could disperse the doubts.
All this really sounds as a scam since the administration of that very Kazakh school does not know anything about its graduate with a royal last name, and the Swiss have confirmed that Daniyar's diploma is incomplete. I'm not sure how it is in Switzerland, but within the former Soviet territories it was possible to buy for fifty bucks during those times a completely legitimate blank of any document proving the graduation – from vocational schools to MSU. And for an extra bribe, with a "real-live" seals and entering into appropriate registration books of such academic institutions.
So the famous Columbia University should think twice before issuing Daniyar a Bachelor's degree: what if the graduate is indeed ... with higher education, but without secondary one... Columbians got fooled, apparently... Not good... Not prestigious... Borat is out of competition...
When it comes to the last name of nearly bachelor, nothing is so smooth either. As is reported by the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, this last name was taken away by the decision of the appropriate agencies, as it was illegally acquired, and all the documents, including passport, were disowned back in February 2010. It turns out since that date he is present in the USA with illegal documents.
Daniyar can thank his mother, born Mayra Kurmangaliyeva, for his last name and all the transformations in this regard. It was she who lured Bolat Nazarbayev into her net – a real relative (who is said to be the sibling) of the Kazakh President – and married him, in a hurry forgetting to divorce her previous husband D. Kesikbayev, whose last name Daniyar had before receiving his second birth certificate with the last name Nazarbayev. There are legends in Kazakhstan about this lady with regards to her resourcefulness, non-fastidiousness and indifference to laws.
Dude by name Daniyar and with a strange last name, appears to be no less pacey than his mother when it comes to matrimonial matters. There are rumors that he charmed Nooryana Najwa, the daughter of Prime-Minister of Malaysia, and about to marry her. Why not? Prominent guy, full of dough, with the last name that takes the breath away... However, if I were Malaysian dad I'd check just in case: was Daniyar married when he was younger. Apple from an apple tree, as you know... and Alma-Ata after all is the city of apples and apple trees.
Though, let's let the Kazakhs and Malaysians deal with this themselves.
I, however, have a set of questions to our American governmental officials.
How did it happen that whoever can purchase very expensive housing in USA without proper financial document check? How can a foreigner, whose documents were disavowed in his own country, continue to quietly live in the US?
Finally, how did it happen that a person with shady secondary education documents reached graduation from one of the most prestigious universities of the country?
Leonid Komarovskiy
"Reporter", New York
