Kazakhstan: officials paid with their freedom for selling canned stewed meat

A trial in the case of employees of the Committee on State Material Reserves, accused of embezzling entrusted property in an especially large amount ($ 15.4 million), has ended in Kazakhstan.

The story, called “the canned food case”, began in April 2019. Then, at a briefing at the Anti-Corruption Agency, the head of the Department’s press service, Arman Berdalin, announced the arrest of the chairman of the Committee on State Material Reserves.

“Knowing for certain that the beef canned food, stored in the reserve, didn’t correspond to the State Standard, was of poor quality and contained soy meat instead of beef, he organized its sale in 2018 to conscientious purchasers – entrepreneurs, causing damage to their interests in the amount of over $ 1.5 million,” explained Berdalin. “In 2015, the specified canned food was delivered to the Committee by one of the producers of the North Kazakhstan region. The state suffered damage in the amount of $ 9.7 million. A pre-trial investigation was initiated against the head of the manufacturing company. With the approval of the court, a preventive measure was chosen against the suspect in the form detention.”

At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Agency named the detained chairman of the Committee on State Material Reserves. He was 50-year-old Bakhytbek Imanaliev.

Over the years of his career, Imanaliev managed to work as the head of the oil depot, the deputy mayor of Zhambyl region, the deputy head of the Economic Department of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the Presidential office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Statistics under the Ministry of National Economy. He had various state awards and was a member of the party “Nur Otan”, which is headed by the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In June 2019, by order of the Minister of Digital Development, Defense and Aerospace Industry, Bakhytbek Imanaliev, who was under investigation by that time, was relieved of his post as chairman of the Committee on State Material Reserves.

On February 1, 2021, 22 persons, involved in this high-profile case, were convicted.

Thus, the former chairman of the Committee on State Material Reserves, Bakhytbek Imanaliev, who was under house arrest, was sentenced to 8 years in prison. In addition, a submission will be made to the President of the country in order to deprive Imanaliev of all state awards.

Head of the Public Procurement Department of the Committee, Makashev, director of the branch of the republican state enterprise “Reserve”–“Vysota” [“Height”], Zhakanov, and head of the Department, Rodin, as well as director of the branch of republican state enterprise “Reserve”– “Signal”, Galiev, also received 8 years in prison. In addition, all of them are deprived of the right to hold positions in the public service for life.

The deputy director of the branch of the republican state enterprise “Reserve”–​​“Vysota” [“Height”], Kusainov, received 2 years of restriction of freedom.

It should be noted that the suppliers of low-quality food products – Adamov, Drozdetskaya, Tartumanov, Rashitov, Sabazov A., Sabazov O., Abdukarimov, Bakaev, Gabdullin, Sadai, Isaev, Kozhanov B., Kozhanov D., Kanatkhan, Mustafinov, Ospanov – didn’t go unnoticed by justice. They were also sentenced to 8 years in prison.