Ex-Head of Kazakh Sciences Academy Given Sharp Reprimand, Pravda Says

The former head of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences, believed to be a close relative of ousted Kazakh party leader Dinmukhamed A. Kunayev, has been sharply reprimanded for the decline of scientific work in the republic, Pravda said Saturday.

The Soviet Communist Party newspaper said Askar M. Kunayev, who was removed as academy president last spring after 12 years, had behaved immorally and allowed abuses of power.

Pravda said a sharp drop in the level of scientific research throughout the Central Asian republic could largely be blamed on Askar Kunayev, who had acted without consulting colleagues and ignored advice from members of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

“Kunayev also behaved improperly on a personal level,” it said. “He abused alcohol, often did not turn up at the academy, skipped responsible appearances and failed to carry out the educational work of a Communist leader in the collective.”

Pravda said a strong reprimand had been entered on his party card. Similar accusations have been levelled at other state bodies in Kazakhstan, where corruption and economic decline led to Dinmukhamed Kunayev’s removal last December as Communist Party chief.