The press service of the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) reported the detention of the acting general director of the RSE «Kazspetsexport», Arshat Ayaganov. He is suspected of abuse of official powers while fulfilling a state defence order for the supply of military armoured vehicles.
According to information from journalist Mikhail Kozachkov, Ayaganov, while carrying out the order, unjustifiably transferred approximately 3 billion tenge to the supplier. He stated that it concerns a contract with the LLP «Astana MPR Project» for the supply of 23 «Cobra 2» armoured vehicles with a total value of 12.4 billion tenge.
It is noted that the company is registered in a free economic zone and presents itself as a domestic manufacturer of military equipment, and is therefore exempt from a number of mandatory payments.
“That is, according to the narrative, the equipment is assembled in Kazakhstan. But at the same time, the company pays huge customs duties for importing these ‘Cobras’ into Kazakhstan. It was for this purpose that Arshat Ayaganov transferred the money to the company, to reimburse the enterprise's costs for paying customs duties in the amount of 2.8 billion tenge. You must agree, this is very strange”, writes the journalist.
It is also assumed that a second episode may appear in the criminal case. As it has become known, «Astana MPR Project» has a contract worth 25 billion tenge with Kazspetsexport for the supply of armoured vehicles to the Ministry of Defence. The investigation now has to clarify the issue of customs payments under this contract as well.
Recall that in November last year, it was reported that the general director of the RSE «Kazspetsexport» Arman Ramazanov and the director of the import department of the same company, Azat Kudabayev, had been detained. They were accused of embezzling approximately 1 billion tenge of budgetary funds during the procurement of military goods by inflating prices as part of fulfilling the state defence order.
Previously, the FBRK editorial team also wrote that the RSU «Qazarneylexport (Kazspetsexport)» of the State Defence Order Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan was conducting tenders for specialised equipment and machinery. In particular, body armour, demolition kits, and MiG aircraft were put up for sale.