Three accountants from the education department of the Kerbulak district from 2021 to 2023 embezzled 34 million tenge. The embezzlement was uncovered by the regional prosecutor's office.
It was established that the accountants had illegally transferred salaries and holiday pay to individuals not employed by the education department.
The defendants repaid the full amount of the damage to the state; as a result, the court sentenced each of them to five and a half years of suspended sentence.
For context, in April it became known that more than 20 teachers in the Zhetysu region had not received their entitled salary supplements for two years.
In July, the Anti-Corruption Agency completed its investigation into officials from the Taldykorgan education department. They were accused of forming an organised criminal group for the purpose of embezzling budget funds.
It was reported that the criminal group consisted of 13 members. As a result of their criminal actions, the state suffered damage amounting to 4.3 billion tenge.
Shortly thereafter, the head of the Taldykorgan education department was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment for taking a bribe from the chief accountant of the same department. The bribe was intended for covering up the embezzlement and preventing her dismissal from work.