The AFM is conducting an investigation into a volunteer activist and founder of the public charitable foundation «BizBirgemiz Qazaqstan» Perizat Kairat. She is suspected of embezzling over 1.5 billion tenge, which was collected to help those affected by the spring floods.
According to the department's press service, she used the majority of the donations to purchase luxury items and property.
It has come to light that in the spring, she bought premium cars in Astana: a 'Mercedes-Benz S450' for 88 million tenge, a 'Lexus LX-600' for 80 million and a 'Haval' for 39 million tenge.
At the same time, she bought luxury property in the capital in the 'Akbulak Riviera', 'Highvill Ishim Gold', 'Kök Zhailau' residential complexes, as well as in the 'Vela Village' cottage community.
Furthermore, using the donations, the suspect made repeated trips abroad for holidays to Dubai, Doha, London and Istanbul, staying in five-star hotels such as 'St. Regis', 'Shangri-La', 'Palazzo Versace' and 'Kempinski'.
"In these countries, she bought expensive jewellery and accessories from the brands 'Cartier' and 'Louis Vuitton', visited upmarket restaurants and went on yacht excursions", the statement said.
It is noted that to carry out the criminal scheme, she enlisted close friends and relatives, who cashed out the fund's money for a fee of 8%.
"Thus, through her unlawful actions, Perizat K. has seriously damaged public trust in civil society institutions, undermining the reputation of the volunteer movement and calling into question its principles of transparency and honesty. The suspect has been detained", the department stated.
Incidentally, according to Informburo.kz, community activists previously reported that the government is considering introducing a ban on fundraising by individuals. At the same time, the Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Svetlana Zhakupova, stated that her department is ready to create a unified platform for charity.
The Minister of Culture and Information, Aida Balaeva, commented on this news.
"The issue is being discussed; a working group has been established. There are no concrete decisions yet, as we are gathering proposals and studying expert opinions. You must understand that such initiatives are not adopted lightly. There are instances of speculation and fraud. Therefore, in this regard, we are looking at improving the mechanism for providing charitable assistance", Balaeva said.
As reported by Ulysmedia.kz, Balaeva also gave comments regarding the investigation into Perizat Kairat.
"Volunteering and charity are actively developing in Kazakhstan, but this also creates fertile ground for the activities of all sorts of swindlers and fraudsters. Therefore, I urge all Kazakhstanis to carefully study charitable aid operators and only work with verified and reliable partners", writes Balaeva.