In court No. 2 of Atyrau, a criminal case against an operative officer of the criminal police department of the Atyrau regional police department was heard. He was found guilty of fraud - the theft of another person's property by deception using his official position (Part 2, Paragraph 3, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
According to the press service of the region's courts, the police officer fraudulently obtained 1.5 million tenge, which belonged to a citizen who was the subject of a criminal case.
"Knowing that citizen M.K. was being prosecuted in a criminal case, taking advantage of the legal illiteracy and depressed psychological state of M.K. and A.K., he fraudulently obtained their funds in the amount of 1,500,000 tenge, convincing them that these funds were intended for the payment of a fine", the statement says.
The defendant fully admitted his guilt. The prosecutor asked for a sentence of 4 years' imprisonment, with a lifelong ban on holding positions in the civil service and state organisations.
In turn, the victims asked for a sentence not involving imprisonment for the defendant.
Ultimately, the court found the former operative officer guilty and sentenced him to a fine of 15 million tenge (10 times the bribe amount) with a lifelong ban on holding positions in the civil service, state organisations, and entities of the quasi-public sector. He was also stripped of his rank of police captain.
For context, earlier travellers from Belarus published a video online in which they said that they were driving along a highway in the Turkestan region without breaking traffic rules, but were stopped by patrol officers.
The police officers demanded local roadworthiness certificates from the tourists and claimed to have recorded an offence on camera, but did not provide any evidence. The law enforcement officers allegedly promised that after handing over the money, the tourists would not be stopped again. It was later reported that the police officers were dismissed.