Kazakhstan: 61 officials were detained for corruption during six months
Since the beginning of the year, 61 heads of state structures of the republican and regional levels have been detained in Kazakhstan. The head of the Anti-Corruption Service Marat Akhmetzhanov announced this at the meeting of the Board of the Anti-Corruption Agency.
Among those detained were one vice minister, three judges and seven regional mayors, as well as their deputies.
“During six months of work, 658 persons were brought to criminal responsibility,” said Akhmetzhanov. “As part of strengthening the responsibility of managers for the corruption of subordinates, 33 officials were punished, three of them were dismissed. About 35 million dollars were reimbursed to the budget. 60 cases of illegal interference in business affairs and 45 facts of patronage of the shadow economy entities were suppressed. 61 facts of systemic corruption were revealed. The activities of an organized criminal group, headed by the general director of the reservation “Semey ormany” and his two deputies were suppressed. They organized a scheme for receiving bribes from entrepreneurs for permits for sanitary cleaning of the forest. At the same time, under the guise of sanitary cleaning, a unique relict pine forest was cut down. All three leaders were arrested. An investigation is underway.”
According to Akhmetzhanov, corruption is rampant in the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan. Thus, the chief of logistics and armaments and the head of the financial department were detained. They were regularly engaged in extortion from subordinates’ bonuses.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Agency also stated that the officials of Kazakhstan don’t hesitate to take over the money that is allocated to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“104 corruption offenses have been identified,” he said. “The facts of abuse and theft in the purchase of medical equipment continue to take place. For example, in Chimkent, the deputy head of the Health department, Myrzakulov, was convicted of purchasing medical equipment at inflated prices through affiliated companies. The damage amounted to $ 3.5 million. Zhamanbaeva, the head of Health department in Mangistau region, was convicted for similar facts.
In addition, according to Akhmetzhanov, the facts of illegal accrual of allowances for medical workers, registration of worked hours and extortion by managers from ordinary doctors were revealed.
“It has already come to falsification of vaccination passports. Medical workers, who sold vaccination passports, were detained in three regions of Kazakhstan. They drew up these documents for virtually unvaccinated people, and annihilated the vaccine. So, the health of the population has become the object of enrichment, and the money, allocated from the budget, is wasted,” was summed up by the head of the Anti-Corruption Agency.
