Erzhan Babakumarov. Photo courtesy of the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
According to Orda.kz, citing the Astana police, Erzhan Babakumarov, who was 56 years old, died as a result of a fight. Preliminary reports indicate that a conflict arose between him and his 36-year-old acquaintance, leading to a verbal altercation.
During the confrontation, Babakumarov sustained injuries that turned out to be fatal. The police have already initiated a criminal case for murder.
The suspect in this incident has been detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. The General Prosecutor's Office is conducting an investigation to clarify all the circumstances of the incident.
Erzhan Babakumarov began his career in the 1990s in the office of the akim of Almaty, and later moved to the presidential administration, where he dealt with domestic policy and headed the information center under Nursultan Nazarbayev. In 2006, he took the position of Deputy Minister of Culture and then worked in the office of Prime Minister Karim Massimov.
Since 2019, he was part of the team of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, becoming his advisor, and before the January events of 2022, he held the position of Deputy Akim of Almaty. His last role was leading the central communications service under the president.
Erzhan Babakumarov is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
