Shadow financing and bribery of African officials: how Timur Turlov is trying to seize control of FIDE through corruption schemes
Kazakhstani banker Timur Turlov, who is vying for the post of FIDE President, has once again found himself at the center of a scandal—this time in Africa. People from his team have been implicated in a vote-buying incident during the elections for the presidency of the African Chess Confederation (ACC).
The victory, by a narrow margin of just one vote—25 to 24—went to Kenyan Bernard Wanjala. Turlov was among the first to publicly congratulate his partner, with whom he shares Napoleonic plans to expand influence on the Black Continent.
However, immediately after the elections, delegate Nicholas Carbonella claimed that the night before the vote, Wanjala had offered him $1,500 in exchange for his ballot. According to Carbonella, he refused the money. Based on this statement, former ACC President Tshepiso Lopang filed a complaint, demanding an investigation into the circumstances of the election.
Two members of Wanjala’s team, who are closely linked to Turlov, have also faced allegations of possibly influencing delegates. Dennis Wandia has long worked with Wanjala in Kenyan chess and remains his close associate. Another key figure is Andre Levakis, who ran as Wanjala’s candidate for the position of ACC Vice President for Technical Affairs and, after the victory, assumed that post.
A special commission is tasked with determining: who contacted delegates before the vote, who distributed materials, who attended meetings, and what occurred at the hotel on the night before the election, when campaign materials were being handed out.
If the investigation confirms irregularities, this will no longer be merely an African scandal. It will directly raise questions about the methods and connections Timur Turlov is employing in his bid to lead world chess.
Earlier, FIDE presidential candidate Jan Henrik Büttner, in a letter to FIDE Council members, stated that his team had received "multiple reliable pieces of evidence" that during his election campaign, Mr. Turlov had actively used FIDE funds and the assistance of Federation staff. In particular, they arranged meetings for him with General Assembly delegates, whose votes on September 26 will determine the next FIDE President.
Muscovite Timur Turlov, at the start of the "special military operation," obtained Kazakhstani citizenship, voiced support for Ukraine, and renounced his Russian passport. The billionaire positions himself as an "international banker," though according to experts, the source of the financier’s wealth is exclusively Russian money.
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Covers the prosecution service, including high-profile cases, selective justice, and ties between supervisory authorities and criminal groups.
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