In Astana on April 11, 2024, during the ninth court session regarding the criminal case of the former Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who is accused of murdering his wife, defense lawyer Erlan Gazymzhanov demanded the recusal of Judge Aizhan Kulbayeva.
The defense lawyer argued that witness testimonies should only be disclosed in court if it is established that they are unable to appear in person. Gazymzhanov stated, "As I understand it, we did not question them in court because the prosecutor agreed to disclose their testimonies. Therefore, I request not to disclose the testimonies of the witnesses who were not questioned in court. We did not have the opportunity to question them."
The court dismissed the defense's objections, with Judge Aizhan Kulbayeva explaining, "Since the defense misleads all participants in the process."
Subsequently, Erlan Gazymzhanov requested the judge's recusal, citing Article 650 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which states that certain legal issues are considered in the absence of jurors and are not within their jurisdiction. The live broadcast of the court proceedings was interrupted at 10:10.
On April 10, Judge Aizhan Kulbayeva announced that representatives of the media were to be removed from the courtroom for showing disrespect to the court.
