The former vice-mayor of Atyrau region, Bakytgul Khamenova, who was accused of taking a large bribe, said that she didn’t agree with the accusations. The trial in her case is now taking place in Atyrau. She believes that she became a victim of persecution because of her love for the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
As ACCA has already reported, Khamenova and the former head of the Regional Department of Culture Akylbek Ryskaliyev were detained in December last year. As anti-corruption fighters reported at the time, the couple was suspected of receiving a kickback in the amount of $10.5 thousand for concluding a public procurement agreement for the installation of a monument to the famous Kazakh philosopher, educator and poet Abai Kunanbayev in Atyrau. At the same time, the amount of the contract for the installation of the monument amounted to over $350,000.
Two days after her arrest, Khamenova was released from the pre-trial detention center because the court changed her preventive measure to house arrest.
“The court took into account that the suspected single woman has a permanent place of residence in Atyrau, didn’t hide from the criminal prosecution authorities, had no previous convictions, is raising two children alone, has an elderly mother as a dependent, and came to the conclusion that it’s necessary to apply a preventive measure in the form of house arrest against her with the restrictions provided for by the procedural legislation,” the judge commented on the decision in the Atyrau Investigation Court.
However, this decision caused a wide public outcry. As a result, the Prosecutor’s Office of Atyrau region filed a petition to change the measure of restraint to the vice-mayor. The trial jury considered the arguments of the Prosecutor’s Office convincing enough and returned Khamenova to the pre-trial detention center.
The trial of the vice-mayor, Akylbek Ryskaliyev, and the head of Balkytu company, Umirtay Adamov, began in June 2022. However, due to various circumstances, the hearings were constantly postponed and rescheduled for other dates. As a result, the main trial was already scheduled for August.
In August, Khamenova’s lawyers filed a motion to change her measure of restraint from detention to house arrest. As noted in the petition, two other defendants, Ryskaliyev and Adamov, are under house arrest, and security measures have been applied against them. Therefore, Khamenova will not be able to put pressure on them. The defense party also appealed by the fact that the former vice-mayor is registered with the dispensary and has two young children as dependents. However, the court, having considered all the arguments of the lawyers, refused to satisfy the petition, “taking into account the gravity of the charge, the degree of danger to society, the severity of the consequences that have arisen, also taking into account personal data that, being at large, she can hide from the court or put pressure on witnesses.”
On September 9, at the next trial, Khamenova herself spoke in her own defense. According to her, she has always been against any corruption in any form. And when Ryskaliyev offered her money from Adamov, she didn’t understand that it was a bribe.
“If Ryskaliyev had said at that moment that it was a bribe, I wouldn’t have allowed him to commit this illegal act,” Khamenova explained to the court with tears in her eyes.
In addition, the former vice-mayor said that she was the victim of persecution by the Anti-Corruption Department for her love for the ex-President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
As ACCA has already reported, Bakytgul Khamenova became famous throughout Kazakhstan long before her arrest. So, in January 2016, as the Director of the Caspian Modern College in Atyrau, speaking at the congress of Nur Otan party (created and headed by the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev), Khamenova read a poem dedicated to Nazarbayev. In 2017, she proposed to rename the capital of Kazakhstan (which was then still called Astana) to Elbasy (Elbasy in Kazakh means leader of the nation – a title that was officially assigned to Nazarbayev), as well as to reflect the special role of the first President in the Constitution.
It was this boundless love for Nazarbayev, according to Khamenova, that became the reason for her arrest and subsequent trial of her.
“Of course, I am considered a supporter of Nazarbayev, because I constantly talk about him and worked with him, and I am on his side,” Khamenova told the court. “I love Elbasy and I will talk about his services to our Motherland. And if they hate me for it, let them hate me!”
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Agency has already responded to Khamenova’s accusations against her.
“In social networks, information is being disseminated with the statements of the defendant Bakytgul Khamenova about her unreasonable persecution by the Anti-Corruption Service. We inform you that in December last year Khamenova was convicted of receiving a bribe in a group of persons by prior agreement with the head of the Department of Culture A. Ryskaliyev from the Director of Balkytu LLC Adamov for concluding a public procurement contract and general patronage in the course of fulfilling obligations. Her actions were qualified taking into account the collected evidence, including the results of undercover investigative actions, as well as direct testimony of suspects and witnesses. The validity and legality of the charges were confirmed by the prosecutor. The final decision on the guilt of Khamenova and other persons will be made by the court,” the Agency’s official commentary says.
