The Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana has considered the case against the chairman of the fisheries committee Nariman Zhunusov and the head of the fisheries resources and fishing regulation department S., who received a bribe by prior conspiracy.
According to the press service of the Astana courts, the defendants were charged with two episodes. It is reported that from 2021 to 2024, the chairman of the committee, in conspiracy with his subordinate – the head of the department, received a bribe of 1.5 million tenge for general patronage from the general director of an organisation under the committee's jurisdiction. In the second episode, the accused received 2 million tenge from the director of a certain LLP "N".
"The sanction of this article provides for a penalty in the form of a fine of 60 to 70 times the bribe amount, or imprisonment for a term of 7 to 12 years, with confiscation of property and lifelong deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities", the statement said.
In the end, despite circumstances mitigating criminal liability, the court sentenced the chairman of the committee and the head of the department to 6 years' imprisonment, with lifelong deprivation of the right to hold positions in the civil service and the quasi-public sector.
"A private ruling has been issued to the authorised body regarding the committed corruption offence, to identify the causes and conditions contributing to the manifestation of corruption among fisheries employees. A proposal has also been submitted to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to strip the committee chairman of his state award. The verdict has not entered into legal force", the judgment stated.
For context, the scheme of corruption facts, in which the chairman of the fisheries committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and other individuals were suspected, was previously revealed.