Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev brushed aside the issue of a bribes-for-oil-contracts scandal that has dogged his leadership and said he hoped to be re-elected in 2006. Nazarbayev played down the significance of a case due shortly before a US court in which US oil consultant James Giffen is charged with passing more than 78 million dollars (65 million euros) in unlawful payments from US companies to top Kazakh officials. New York city prosecutors last month identified Nazarbayev and former prime minister Nurlan Balgimbayev as the recipients of the alleged payments made by, among others, the Mobil Corporation, which has since been incorporated into ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil denies any wrongdoing in relation to the charges. The case due to get fully under way in October \"is against (Giffen) specifically and not against any citizen of Kazakhstan, so I don\'t consider it necessary to follow the case or comment,\" Nazarbayev said Friday during a television phone-in. \"The only connection is that Mr. Giffen was an external advisor to the government ... our oil experts say that these contracts fully serve the interests of Kazakhstan thanks to him,\" he added. In all other respects charges of Kazakh involvement are \"just insinuation and provocation,\" Nazarbayev said. Nazarayev went on to express hope of retaining office at presidential elections due in 2006. \"Without fail I intend to stand if everything is okay, if God wills,\" Nazarbayev said. \"It depends on a lot -- this question will be decided by the people.\" Friday\'s hours-long nationwide phone-in appeared modelled on similar phone-ins hosted by Russia\'s President Vladimir Putin. The questions ranged widely, including one about why the only pot-hole-free roads in the largest city Almaty are those used by the presidential cortege. (AFP)