The editorial office of the Foundation-Bureau for Corruption Investigation (FBCI) has received official confirmation of a family relationship between the Chairman of the Committee for Road Transport and Transport Control of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Altai Ali, and the Head of the Transport Control Department for the Zhambyl Region, Yerbol Kulymbet.
The story began with a publication suggesting that an "ordinary worker", Yerbol Kulymbet, had taken the position of Head of the Transport Control Department in just one and a half years of work. The author hinted at the possible role of family connections with a senior official.
In this regard, the FBCI sent an official request to the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The response states that Yerbol Kulymbet has been working in the civil service system since 2014, and in the Transport Control Inspectorate (TCI) for the Zhambyl Region since 2022. By order of 2 July 2024, he was appointed to the position of Head of the Transport Control Department.
The Ministry also confirmed that Altai Ali's father and Yerbol Kulymbet's mother are siblings (brother and sister). At the same time, the department emphasised that such a family relationship is not considered a conflict of interest:
"Despite the fact that, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 14 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan 'On Combating Corruption', such family ties do not fall under the category of close relatives or in-laws and do not constitute a conflict of interest, Y. Kulymbet has been relieved of his post by order No. 38-zh at his own request."
It will be recalled that previously, a chief specialist of the Zhambyl Regional Transport Control Inspectorate, Nursultan Bulatbekov, accused the department's leadership of organising large-scale corruption schemes amounting to over 50 million tenge per year. He later published video recordings which, he claims, corroborate these accusations.
Formally, the appointment of the committee chairman's cousin does not violate the law. However, the ethical aspect of such personnel decisions in the civil service remains questionable — especially against the backdrop of corruption scandals in the industry. Transparency in personnel policy could dispel such public doubts.