Kazakhstan: case initiated against ex-head of the Health Insurance Fund

The Anti-Corruption Agency of Kazakhstan has launched a pre-trial investigation against the ex-management of the National Social Health Insurance Fund.

The investigation is being conducted on the fact of theft of funds “by overstating the cost of purchased services.”Other information in the interests of the investigation has not yet been disclosed.

Recall that we are talking about the former head of the National Social Health Insurance Fund Aibatyr Zhumagulov, who was relieved of his post on behalf of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev.

“Recently, there has been a lot of talks about the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund, a more businesslike and less glamorous person should be placed there, so that there would be no sorts of rumors and gossip around it. On the part of the Government, there should be an analysis of the fund’s activities, ”the president said at an enlarged government meeting last week.

It is probably worth explaining that Tokayev called Zhumagulov “glamorous” for a reason. The fact is that Zhumagulov’s wife, TV presenter Gulbarshin Zairova, has repeatedly posted photos of her glamorous life on social networks, thereby provoking criticism from fellow citizens. However, her last post on Instagram caused the greatest indignation of Kazakhstanis: she said that her husband had once promised to present 10 cars before her 30th birthday, and noted that in reality, she received a twelfth car as a gift for her 30th birthday.

But later, the press secretary of the Social Health Insurance Fund, Ermek Boltaev, tried to justify and “whitewash” his boss. “We found out this is a four-years-old publication. I want to clarify that the Zhumagulov family has no 12 cars. They have just one Toyota. They switched 12 cars in 25 years of married life, selling one and buying another. The first car was Zhiguli of the fourth model, bought back in the 90s, ”said Yermek Boltaev.

However, few people believed his assurances, including the president of the country. On his instructions, on July 13, the Anti-Corruption Agency began a large-scale audit of the Social Health Insurance Fund for corruption offenses.