New road corruption case was started in Kazakhstan
The former Head of Karaganda regional branch of the national company “KazAvtoZhol” is suspected of causing damage to the state budget of Kazakhstan in the amount of about 780 000 US dollars. This was reported today in the Press service of the Anti-Corruption Department of the Republic.
As follows from the message, the Department of the Anti-Corruption Agency in Karaganda started a pre-trial investigation against the former Head of the local branch of “KazAvtoZhol”.
“He is suspected of abuse of power when signing acts of incomplete work on the reconstruction of Astana-Karaganda-Balkhash-Almaty automobile roads and Anar-Osakarovka road section, which resulted damage to the state in excess of 779 000 US dollars,” the report said.
“KazAvtoZhol” by the decision of the Government of Kazakhstan is the national operator for managing the country’s roads. The company is engaged in the implementation of budget investment projects for the development of a network of public roads of international and national importance. The types of activities of the company are very extensive: the construction and repair of roads, the issuance of permits, the collection of fees for the placement of outdoor advertising on roads, the collection of duties on toll roads, etc.
It is clear that the money that is spinning in this industry is colossal, and many people want to grab a piece from such a “pie”.
Just two months ago, the court of Pavlodar convicted the Director of Pavlodar regional branch of the National company “KazAvtoZhol” N. Toimbetov, his Deputy M. Darabaev, and the Director of the Republican state administration “Pavlodarjollaboratorya” K. Koishimanov. So N. Toimbetov was sentenced to a fine in the amount of 6.2 thousand US dollars, Darabaev – in the amount of 4.6 thousand US dollars, Koishimanov – in the amount of 31.1 thousand US dollars. And the Director of the contracting organization A. Birseitov, who paid bribes to the above persons for patronage and unhindered signing of acts of roads’ reconstruction in the region, was fined 15.5 thousand US dollars.
It should be noted that the first Deputy Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Agency, Olzhas Bektenov, speaking at a briefing in June of this year, reported that about 100 corruption offenses had been stopped in Kazakhstan over the past 3.5 years in the field of road construction.
“Among those exposed are officials of “KazAvtoZhol”, “KazakhAvtoDor”, local executive bodies, the Center for Quality of Road Assets, formed on the basis of regional road laboratories, as well as representatives of other structures,” Bektenov explained. “The facts of corruption in this area are mainly related to bribery for signing contracts, patronage of illegal business activities, failure to take administrative measures, as well as embezzlement of budget funds during public procurement.”
