Ruslan Apushev, the former head of the administrative police department of Pavlodar, will spend three years in the colony for taking a bribe of $130.
According to the materials of the case, on September 25 last year, a resident of Pavlodar E. Rakhimbek ran a citizen Z. Nurakhmetova down. As a result of the accident, Nurakhmetova’s toe was broken.
Police major Ruslan Apushev allegedly called both participants to his home to get detailed information about the accident. During the conversation, Nurakhmetova stated that she had no claims against Rakhimbek and refused to undergo a forensic medical examination.
Despite this, Rakhimbek still had to be held accountable – a fine and deprivation of the driver’s license. The next day, Apushev summoned Rakhimbek to his office and lay down a condition: the violator pays a fine for a certain citizen Schmidt in the amount of $130, and in return, the Police major changes the article of the Criminal Code “Violation of traffic rules, negligently causing moderate harm to human health” to article of the Administrative Code “Violation of the rules of maneuvering”. Rakhimbek agreed. Apushev called his friend Schmidt and said that $130 (the amount that someone owes him) would be transferred to him.
However, Rakhimbek, after thinking about it, realized that he was being forced to commit a corruption crime and filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Department.
Corruption fighters developed a special operation: Rakhimbek arrived at Apushev’s house in the evening and transferred money to Mr. Schmidt. After that, the major called Mr. Schmidt and asked to transfer the money to the number of his common law wife. After the money arrived, Apushev fulfilled his promise and drew up an administrative protocol against Rakhimbek. Subsequently, this protocol was canceled as illegal.
At the trial, Apushev admitted the charges, but didn’t agree with the verdict – three years in prison with serving a sentence in a general regime colony, with the deprivation of the rank of Police major and with life deprivation of the right to hold positions in the public service.
However, the appellate instance, where Apushev filed a petition to replace the deprivation of liberty with the payment of a fine, having considered all the materials of the case, came to the conclusion that the judge of the first instance delivered a fair sentence to the major.
For comparison: in April in Aktobe region, the court considered that there were no grounds for conviction of the defendant (former head of the Environmental department Nurzhan Akkul, accused of taking a large bribe, which was eight times more than the bribe received by Apushev) and imposed a fine on him.
