A short-track speed skating coach for children's and youth teams at the State Institution 'School of Higher Sports Mastery' in the Kostanay region is suspected of embezzling budget funds.
According to the regional prosecutor's office, from October 2022 to January 2024, the coach created fictitious advance reports with inflated actual costs. It is reported that he included people in the lists who did not attend training camps or competitions.
The coach allegedly kept the incoming money for himself. The total amount of stolen funds was 5.9 million tenge.
'Subsequently, the stolen funds were channelled into legal circulation by depositing them into a savings account, from which he received a monthly interest payment at a rate of 9.6%.', the statement reads.
The amount of criminal income from the interest payments was 613.1 thousand tenge.
The accused's actions have been classified under Article 189, Part 3, Clause 1 (embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property, committed using an official position, on a large scale) and Article 218, Part 1 (legalisation [laundering] of money) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
This carries a maximum penalty of 7 years' imprisonment, with confiscation of property and a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to 6 years.
The criminal case has been sent to Court No. 2 in Kostanay.
It should be recalled that this year, the Anti-Corruption Agency identified around 60 violations in the sports sector. Damage to the state amounted to 1.3 billion tenge.
The agency announced the completion of the pre-trial investigation against the former head of the state enterprise 'Directorate for Sports Development', his deputy, and other implicated individuals. They are suspected of embezzling 746 million tenge of budget funds as part of the 'Artsport' programme.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Agency completed another investigation concerning the head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Atyrau region. He is suspected of receiving a bribe of 1.7 million tenge from a coach of the subordinate Olympic Reserve Training Centre in exchange for allocating funds for athletes' travel to training camps.
In October, the prosecutor's office of the Aktobe region revealed that heads of children's and youth sports schools had misappropriated funds received from sports teams for renting sports facilities. It was reported that they spent over 6 million tenge on personal needs, including bets placed at bookmakers.