The court in Astana has begun hearing the case of Lyudmila Gracheva, accused of embezzling 100 million tenge, which she allegedly demanded to secure a lenient sentence for the convicted Kuandyk Bishimbayev. The suspect was detained after a dummy, rather than real money, was handed over to her.
According to Informburo.kz, Gracheva stated that she lived in the same city as Bishimbayev's family and studied at the same educational institution as Kuandyk.
It is reported that on the day of her arrest, the defendant left the apartment of Bishimbayev's mother, Almira Nurlybekova, carrying a large black bag. She was detained as she exited the residential complex.
"I don't know what's in the bag. I was asked to pass the bag. I did not open the bag", Gracheva told the police.
However, the court was presented with recordings of conversations between Nurlybekova and Gracheva, in which Gracheva can be heard promising to arrange a change to Bishimbayev's charge.
"Give the bag, and then we'll sort out the matter. Don't be afraid, you know where I live", Gracheva says on the recording.
When questioned, she claimed that she planned to take this bag to the police in order to uncover two crimes: a hit-and-run allegedly committed by Bishimbayev and the bribery of jurors by his parents.
In court, Gracheva spoke about a crime allegedly committed by Bishimbayev back in 1995. According to her, Bishimbayev and a mutual classmate were driving to meet her when Kuandyk hit a young child, who was five years old at the time.
The defendant noted that instead of Bishimbayev, the classmate was convicted for the hit-and-run. She stated that she could confirm her testimony using a lie detector.
"I want to explain the reason for my visit to their home (the home of Bishimbayev's parents. – Ed.) on 9 May 2024. I am the only witness to this case. Threats will be made against me and my children, as they have been before. I want to bring the truth to you, to explain why I went to that house. I went to that house deliberately, to stop it, so that all of you, citizens of Kazakhstan, would know that this crime was committed by their son. They exchanged a person, their son, for my classmate", Gracheva said.
During the closing arguments, prosecutor Azamat Toktarbai expressed the view that Gracheva had fabricated this story to protect her own interests in court.
"Would a person who desires justice act the way Lyudmila Gracheva does? Would a person who has known about such a crime for 30 years act this way? Her true intention is to gain the trust of the victims and thus take possession of the money. And her story about the old crime is completely fabricated", he said.
The prosecutor requested that the defendant be sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. Meanwhile, defence lawyer Oksana Shevchenko, representing the defendant, requested a full acquittal for her client. The case continues to be heard in court.
To recall, in November 2023, Saltanat Nukenova died as a result of bodily harm inflicted at a restaurant in the capital.
Later, her husband, former Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, was arrested on suspicion of murder. He was detained for two months. Also taken into custody was the director of the 'Gastro-Centre', Bishimbayev's relative, Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, where the incident occurred. He was charged with covering up a crime. Ultimately, the court found Bishimbayev guilty and sentenced him to 24 years' imprisonment. Baizhanov was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment in a medium-security correctional facility.