The Kazakh Anti-Corruption Agency is investigating a criminal case regarding the theft of $5.1 million allocated for the development of sports and promoting the image of Kazakhstan. This was announced at a press conference by the head of the second department of the Anti-Corruption Agency, Sergei Perov.
According to Perov, the criminal scheme was revealed in the sports club “Astana”, as well as in its units: the cycling team “AstanaProTeam” and “Astana Motorsports”.
According to the anti-corruption fighters, the director of the sports club “Astana”, Amanbek Kulchikov, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the head of the cycling team “AstanaProTeam”, Lazzat Shamshieva, and the head of “Astana Motorsports”, Arthur Ardavichus, in order to implement a criminal scheme to steal 2 billion KZT allocated by the national welfare fund “Samruk-Kazyna”.
“Kulchikov, knowing the actual needs of the clubs, deliberately accepted in 2016-2018 funding applications for amounts many times higher the real expenses, and also accepted fake reports on the targeted use of money provided by Shamshieva and Ardavichus,” Perov explained.
According to him, to steal money, the trio made imaginary transactions with foreign companies, and also signed fictitious acts on the organization of training camps, rental of premises, purchase of inventory items.
Thus, according to the Agency, the above citizens concluded an imaginary agreement with one Kazakh company on the purchase of six branded bicycles and spare parts for them totaling 219 000 euros. The sports club did not need these bicycles, because sponsors annually provided the cycling team with more than 200 branded bicycles that meet international standards for participating in professional races.
Naturally, the bicycles, allegedly bought from a Kazakh company, were not delivered, and the money, of course, was stolen. The sports club heads did not disdain to buy tickets to their families at the expense of the allocated funds.
Two organizers of the scheme, Kulchikov and Shamshieva, are in the pre-trial detention center today, and Ardavichus is put on the international wanted list.
It is also worth noting that in December last year, Ardavichus said that he had nothing to do with these thefts and he was not hiding at all.
“I am not questioned. No charge was brought against me. By whom and when the checks were initiated, I do not know. The investigating authority has reliable information about my whereabouts. I am always in touch with the investigator. Written explanations were given about the impossibility of disrupting preparations for the start at the main tournament of the year “Dakar 2020”. I am the chief technical consultant and racer of the European team. I have also contractual obligations. I signed this contract long before the accusations. At the same time, I represent my native Kazakhstan. I haven’t received or pretended to a single tenge to prepare for this start from the Kazakhstan’s budget,” Ardavichus wrote then on his Instagram page. By the way, this was his last post on Instagram.
We also add that the presidential professional sports club “Astana” was created on the initiative of the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, in December 2012. The main goal of creating the club was to enter the world sports space by accumulating the abilities and efforts of leading domestic sports teams, as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle and developing sports of the highest achievements.
Under the banners of the club are Kazakhstan’s sports projects: the professional world-class cycling team “AstanaProTeam”, the football club “Astana”, the hockey club “Barys” and the basketball club “Astana”.
Leave feedback about this