There is information on social networks that the employees of the Anti-Corruption Agency detained the mayor of Talgar district of Almaty region, Serikzhan Erekeshev, on January 24 on suspicion of taking a bribe. However, there is still no official confirmation from the Anti-Corruption Agency.
According to users on social networks, together with the mayor, his deputy Akhmet Ashimakhun and the head of the housing and communal services department Askar Shamaev were also detained.
Meanwhile, the Telegram channel @YEDILOV ONLINE reported that Erekeshev was dismissed from his post on January 22 (that is, 2 days before his arrest). It is hardly a coincidence or a lucky accident for the Regional mayor’s office. It has become a tradition in Kazakhstan to fire the officials, being a thief, retroactively. And all because of the law, adopted in the country in 2019, according to which higher officials are personally responsible for those lower. If a district mayor is caught on a corruption crime, the regional mayor must resign after his subordinate is sentenced.
Serikzhan Erekeshev was appointed mayor of Talgar district only six months ago. Moreover, he was appointed by order of the mayor of Almaty region Amandyk Batalov. It should also be noted that in November 2020, Batalov was 68 years old, that is, he came of retirement age. According to the law of Kazakhstan, an official of any rank must retire upon reaching retirement age. However, the President of Kazakhstan (if it is about high-ranking officials, such as ministers or mayors of regions) can extend their powers by his decree. Whether such a decree was signed in case of Batalov was not reported anywhere. But since the head of Almaty region is still in office, then, consequently, there was some order. However, the decree (if it was signed) will be useless if the guilt of the mayor of Talgar district is proved. Therefore, his dismissal 2 days before the arrest is quite logical …
It is worth noting one more point: in November last year, Serikzhan Erekeshev became the hero of the program “Akims” on the state TV channel “Khabar 24”. The presentation of the program was rather negative, that is, it was already the first signal that the work of the mayor of Talgar district was not particularly satisfied by the higher authority.
“Talgar district is a small ‘South Korea’ on the map of Kazakhstan, where almost every head or mayor was subsequently convicted of corruption, or was involved in a criminal case,” Bakhytzhan Bazarbek, a lawyer and expert in land law, wrote in his Facebook post. “These are more than 40 convicted, prosecuted and prosecuted (as well as suspected now) former officials of Talgar district, Talgar city, rural districts, and district mayor’s departments for a period of 15-20 years! The main reason is the land!” noted Bazarbek.
In his post, he briefly recalled the chronology of corruption investigations against officials of Talgar district.
Thus, in 2001, the deputy mayor of Talgar district and the chief specialist of the economy department of the same district were detained while receiving a bribe of $ 500. In 2009, the mayor of Talgar district Kenzhebek Omarbayev faced trial for illegal alienation of land and damage to the state in the amount of $ 6.6 million. In 2011, the mayor of Talgar, Bolat Omarov, went to jail. In 2012, Aydabek Kozhakhmetov, who replaced him in this post, became a suspect in the extortion case, and in 2013 the mayor of the city, Zhumatai Kasymbaev, became a defendant in a corruption case for a bribe of $ 5.5 thousand.
“In 2020, the Anti-Corruption Agency initiated criminal proceedings (pre-trial investigation) regarding land fraud in Panfilov rural area of Talgar district. The suspects are 12 officials: mayors of the rural area, former architects of Talgar district, former heads of the land relations department and other officials. In 2020, the Department of Almaty region registered a criminal case against the mayor of Beskaynar rural area of Talgar district on suspicion of abuse of office, expressed in the illegal provision of a plot from the lands of Ile-Alatau State National Natural Park,” recalls Bazarbek.
Meanwhile, another corruption scandal involving officials broke out in Akmola region. According to the press service of the Anti-Corruption Agency, the case of the deputy mayor and the head of the Department of architecture and urban planning of one of the districts of the region was transferred to the court on suspicion of receiving a bribe by a group of persons (in collusion) in the amount of $ 1.8 thousand for a positive decision concerning the land use for two plots.
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