The Nurbank bank, founded in Atyrau regional governor's office was taken over by Rakhat Aliyev in January 2007. Shortly after, two Nurbank managers, Zholdas Timraliyev and Aybar Khasenov, were kidnapped, tortured and eventually killed by Aliyev. In May 2007, the criminal proceedings against Aliyev in Almaty began and Kazakhstan sentenced him for forty years.[1]