The court of the Borodulikha district of the Abai region has passed a sentence in the case concerning the deaths of 14 people during forest fires in the «Semei Ormany» reserve in the summer of 2023.
According to the court's press service, two defendants, who held leadership positions in the «Semei Ormany» reserve and the Novoshulbinsk branch, failed to fulfil their duties regarding the organisation of firefighting during the forest fire.
They were also accused of incorrectly assessing the situation and failing to ensure compliance with safety regulations during the firefighting, which led to the deaths of people.
«Taking into account mitigating circumstances, such as both defendants having young children and the absence of aggravating circumstances, the court found V. and K. guilty and sentenced each of them to 7 years’ imprisonment», the statement says.
It is worth recalling that in June last year, a major fire occurred in the forests of the Abai region, as a result of which 14 employees of the «Semei Ormany» forest nature reserve died.
We have previously reported that in May last year, the heads of the State Institution «State Forest Nature Reserve «Semei Ormany» were convicted by a court verdict. Three heads of the state institution were found guilty of creating and participating in an organised criminal group, as well as receiving bribes from entrepreneurs.
At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Service submitted a recommendation regarding possible disciplinary action against the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, E.N. Kutpanbayev, up to and including dismissal from his post.
He was suspected of lacking departmental control over the activities of his subordinates, which led to corruption offences. However, as we can observe, Kutpanbayev has faced no punishment whatsoever and continues to work in his previous position.