The head of the Directorate for the Development of Olympic Sports has been found guilty of corruption and embezzlement of budget funds.
According to the press service of the Astana prosecutor's office, the official embezzled more than 60 million tenge and received a bribe of 4 million tenge from a subordinate.
"The embezzlement was committed by appropriating budget funds allocated for athletes' training camps, and by concluding government procurement contracts with affiliated entities for the rental of sports halls, when it was possible to obtain these premises free of charge," the statement said.
Alongside the head, an employee of the Directorate who assisted in the embezzlement also found himself in the dock.
As a result, the official was sentenced to 5 years, and his accomplice to 4 years in prison. They were also banned from holding civil service positions for life.
Recall that it was previously reported that former employees of the Almaty Sports Department and its subordinate organisation are suspected of embezzling budget funds. They are accused of embezzling more than 56 million tenge by calculating and paying salaries to people who did not actually work for the department.
It was also reported that in Shymkent, two martial arts coaches from the school of higher sports mastery No. 3 under the Department of Physical Culture and Sports appropriated over 27 million tenge. The budget funds were intended for training camps and athletes' travel to competitions.
The accused fully admitted their guilt and compensated for the damage caused even at the pre-trial investigation stage. Due to the return of the money, the school's directorate had no claims against the defendants. As a result, the court imposed a suspended sentence on the coaches.