(15 January 2026 | Source: court press service)
The Almaly District Court of Almaty has sentenced three former employees of the airlines Air Astana and FlyArystan, finding them guilty of embezzlement of entrusted funds and the legalisation of proceeds obtained by criminal means. The case drew public attention after one of the convicted men publicly alleged the possible use of official mechanisms on the orders of the airline's management.
WHAT THE DEFENDANTS WERE CHARGED WITH
The court examined the criminal case against Daur Yerkenuly, Yerkin Isanov and Renat Abulkhanov.
They were charged under Article 189, Part 4, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property belonging to others on an especially large scale”), as well as under Article 218, Part 2, Clause 1 and Part 3, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Legalisation (money laundering) of money and other property obtained by criminal means”).
As established by the court, between 2019 and 2024, Daur Yerkenuly and Yerkin Isanov, working as managers, and Renat Abulkhanov, holding the position of department director, embezzled entrusted funds. According to the case materials, this money was used to acquire movable and immovable property.
THE PARTIES' POSITIONS IN COURT
The defendants pleaded not guilty. The injured party and the state prosecutor insisted on custodial sentences.
The court noted that when passing sentence, mitigating circumstances were taken into account: committing the criminal offence for the first time, as well as each defendant having two young children. No aggravating circumstances were established by the court.
THE COURT'S DECISION
By the verdict of the Almaly District Court, Yerkin Isanov and Renat Abulkhanov were found guilty and sentenced to 8 years and 6 months' imprisonment with confiscation of property. Daur Yerkenuly received 9 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property.
In addition, the court imposed a five-year ban on the convicted men holding administrative positions. They will serve their sentences in medium-security institutions.
The claim of the injured party was satisfied: damages were recovered from the convicted men on a joint and several basis, and property obtained by criminal means was confiscated in compensation. The court's verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
RENAT ABULKHANOV'S PUBLIC POSITION
Previously, Renat Abulkhanov publicly outlined his position, stating that he was following the instructions of the airline's management. According to him, requests for booking airline tickets at reduced fares, rebooking without penalties, and using overbooking mechanisms came to him from representatives of top management.
During the trial, as Abulkhanov claimed, a witness confirmed the booking of tickets at concessionary fares for the wife of the president of Air Astana, as well as for members of her family.
The defence also published screenshots of correspondence containing requests for assistance with purchasing airline tickets for officials, representatives of law enforcement agencies, and private individuals. The authenticity of this correspondence has not been officially confirmed, and its procedural status has not been clarified in open sources.