Kazakhstan: judge-briber was sentenced to 9 years
The trial of the former judge of the Specialized Interdistrict Economic Court Yerzhan Gabdullin has ended in the Kazybi District Court of the city of Karaganda. The court found him guilty of “fraud” and “incitement to bribe” and sentenced him to 9 years in prison with life deprivation of the right to work in public service.
As ACCA has already reported, Yerzhan Gabdullin was detained red-handed on February 5 this year. He received 10,000 euros and 7,000 dollars for assisting in solving a lawsuit in favor of the construction company “Olivia”, which is engaged in the construction of housing under various government programs.
The former judge appeared before the court at the end of May. Together with him, Elena Kanter-Skripkina, a lawyer at the construction company “Olivia”, was in the dock.
As established by the investigation, Kanter-Skripkina worked as a bailiff at one time, then held the post of assistant to the mayor of the city of Shakhtinsk, and in recent years, she was engaged in private practice, combining this activity with work in a construction company. Kanter-Skripkina has been on friendly terms with Yerzhan Gabdullin for over 20 years.
According to the investigation, in September last year, the construction company “Olivia” lost in the tender for the construction of two multi-storey buildings in Oktyabrsky district of the city of Karaganda. The CEO of Olivia didn’t agree with the loss and instructed the lawyer Elena Kanter-Skripkina to appeal the decision of the competition commission in court in order to recognize Olivia as the winner of the tender.
Elena Kanter-Skripkina, taking advantage of friendly relations, turned to the judge of the Specialized Interdistrict Economic Court Yerzhan Gabdullin with a request to assist in satisfying Olivia’s claims. Gabdullin promised to help for a reward.
Meanwhile, according to the verdict of the court, the lawyer Kanter-Skripkina received only three years in prison with life deprivation of the right to work in government agencies. As noted by the judge Sayan Akkozhin, the construction company’s lawyer actively helped the investigation and sincerely repented.
