Kazakhstan: top manager of national company was detained
In Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan, the Department of Economic Investigations (DEI) detained the head of the branch of the national company “Kazakhstan Temir Joly” (Kazakhstan railways) in Pavlodar region.
According to the press service of the DEI, the head of Pavlodar branch of JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” is suspected of systematically receiving illegal remuneration for patronage in work. The investigation found that the top manager, together with his deputy, monthly squeezed more than 100 of his subordinates for $ 20-25.
It’s worth noting that only in the last month this is the second corruption scandal associated with the activities of JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly”. So, at the beginning of February, the Anti-Corruption Agency reported on various corruption schemes detected throughout the activities of the national company.
“Certain managers of JSC ‘National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly’ are engaged in extortion of large bribes from entrepreneurs for the unimpeded passage of wagons. Such facts were suppressed in Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Akmola, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar regions and in the city of Chimkent,” Daniyar Bigaydarov, an investigator for especially important cases of the Anti-Corruption Agency, said at an online briefing. “At the same time, the amount of bribes ranged from 240 to 12,000 dollars.”
Meanwhile, in June last year, JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” announced zero tolerance for any corruption offenses.
As the director for corporate security of JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” Kurman Elubaev said at the time, JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” adopted a policy of creating an atmosphere of zero tolerance for any manifestations of corruption, adherence of its employees and officials to high standards of conduct to strengthen reputation and sustainable development, effective achievement of its strategic and operational indicators.
“Considering a series of high-profile detentions of officials of the company and regional offices on suspicion of corruption, in 2019, JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” carried out an extraordinary certification of top executives of its affiliates and branches,” emphasized Elubaev. “All the heads of the regional departments of the railway and highway networks have also passed the certification.”
Judging by the fact that high-profile detentions continue, the certification was poorly conducted or had a short-term effect.
JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” is a national railway carrier of goods and passengers, a transport and logistics holding, an operator of the main railway network of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In addition, the company is a natural monopoly.
The Chairman of the Board of JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” is Sauat Mynbayev, who previously headed the ministries of oil and gas, energy and mineral resources, industry and trade. He was also the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
One of Mynbayev’s deputies as chairman of the Board of JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly” is Serik Abdenov. In the past, he was the minister of labor and social protection of the population and vice president for human resources management at the national company “KazMunayGas”. In JSC “National company Kazakhstan Temir Joly”, Serik Abdenov is in charge of corporate issues and HR.
