In Astana, former deputy akim of Almaty Yerzhan Babakumarov was arrested for drink-driving.
According to CMN.KZ, on the night of 29 January, capital city police stopped a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado driven by Babakumarov. A medical examination revealed the driver had a mild level of alcohol intoxication.
The Specialised Inter-District Court for Administrative Offences found Yerzhan Babakumarov guilty of driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest and a ban from driving for seven years.
It has become known that Yerzhan Babakumarov served as deputy akim of Almaty from July 2019 to February 2022. Later in 2022, he became head of the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Furthermore, from April to July 2019, Babakumarov was an Advisor to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.