The head of Kazakhstan’s intelligence service stepped down after officers from his agency were arrested for the murder of Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly.
Nartai Dutbayev submitted his resignation Tuesday, hours after the National Security Committee said that five of its employees were among the six arrested suspects.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with him on Wednesday and “accepted his offer of resignation,” the president’s office said.
“I believe that I have no moral right to head the National Security Committee in the given situation,” Dutbayev said after the meeting, according to the president’s office.
He also said that the arrested security service officers “betrayed their duty and the interests of the people” and must be punished.
The president, meanwhile, has vowed to visit “the toughest punishment” on those responsible for the murder. The entire situation has a mysterious and foul odor to it, so one would hope that “the toughest punishment” is not rushed.
And the president’s daughter has called for Arystan, the elite unit of which the arrested officers were members, to be shut down.
The opposition plans to hold demonstrations commemorating Sarsenbaiuly this weekend.
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What’s your take on all this, Nathan? How high do you think this murder goes? How genuine do you think this investigation is?
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