Over the past three years, the Anti-Corruption Agency has been investigating 770 criminal cases related to fraud, of which 122 were linked to incitement to bribe-giving. A total of 424 individuals were convicted. The total amount of money handed over to fraudsters was 18.9 billion tenge.
According to the official representative of the Anti-Corruption Agency, Daniyar Bigaidarov, in March, the specialised inter-district criminal court of Almaty found citizens Kozlov D. and Sembayev A. guilty of fraud and bribery.
The aforementioned individuals, posing as law enforcement officers and assistants to high-ranking officials, offered services to resolve various issues.
As reported, a resident of Almaty handed over $45,000 to Kozlov on the condition that he would help reduce the damages and the number of victims in the criminal case against his son.
It also emerged that in another case, Kozlov, in a preliminary conspiracy with Sembayev, under the pretext of assisting with customs clearance of goods from the UAE, obtained $265,000 from a citizen.
Ultimately, the court sentenced Kozlov and Sembayev to 12 and 10 years' imprisonment respectively, with a lifelong ban from holding positions in the civil service.
At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Service of the Zhambyl Region is conducting a pre-trial investigation into fraud involving the heads of departments of the inter-district office for combating drug crime of the police department.
They are suspected of having, through deception, obtained 1.5 million tenge from a resident of the Shu District, whom they promised not to prosecute in a drug possession case. The officials have now been detained and placed in the temporary detention facility in Taraz.
Furthermore, the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Mangystau Region has completed a pre-trial investigation into the head of the regional department for construction, architecture and urban planning.
The official is suspected of receiving a bribe of 5 million tenge from a businessman. At the same time, the entrepreneur was also prosecuted for giving a bribe to an official. The investigative court authorised 'House Arrest' for the suspects, using an 'electronic bracelet'.
Additionally, the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Almaty Region has completed a pre-trial investigation into 7 heads of private pre-school education organisations in the Ili District. They are suspected of embezzling 134 million tenge by submitting fictitious certificates of completed work under the state educational order.
The investigation established that the pre-school organisations effectively existed only on paper. The materials of the criminal case have been sent to court.
Also, as a separate proceeding, the Anti-Corruption Agency completed pre-trial investigations against four officials of the RSE 'Ili District Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Almaty Region Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan'. Specialists from the institution issued fictitious reports to the heads of non-existent kindergartens. The case has been referred to court.
Moreover, it emerged that the Anti-Corruption Agency detained the head of the VAT audit department of the Indirect Tax Administration Department of Astana on suspicion of committing a serious corruption offence. He received a bribe of 3.6 million tenge from an entrepreneur in exchange for a positive decision on a VAT refund amounting to 36 million tenge.
During a search of his place of residence, law enforcement officers seized 129.4 million tenge; the legality and validity of its origin are being verified. By court order, the suspect has been remanded in custody for 2 months.