The court in Shymkent has announced an internal investigation into the published video of the proceedings in the case of the attempted murder of the deputy mayor of the city, Ruslan Berdenov.
On 18 August, journalist Botagoz Omarova published footage from the hearing on her Telegram channel, in which judge Abinur Karabayev sticks out his tongue while looking at the camera.
According to the city court's press office, as reported by Informburo.kz, the judge's actions will be reviewed for potential violations of the Code of Judicial Ethics.
"Based on its findings, the materials will be submitted to the Commission on Judicial Ethics. If the judge is found to have committed a discreditable act, the materials will be forwarded to the Judicial Jury under the Supreme Judicial Council," the statement said.
The court noted that regardless of the circumstances, judges are obliged to strictly adhere to the norms of professional ethics and maintain a high level of public trust in the judicial system.
To recall, on 21 April, an armed attack was carried out near the building of the Shymkent Akimat on the deputy mayor of the city, Ruslan Berdenov. As a result of the shooting, he sustained a gunshot wound and was hospitalised.
On 22 April, details of the assassination attempt became known. It was reported that the shooter was Yernar Zhiyenbay, the head of Turgyn uy Shymkent LLP, a subsidiary company of the Akimat's office that deals with the construction of non-residential premises. The investigation believes the suspect developed animosity towards Berdenov after a meeting where they first met.
The day before, closing arguments were held in court regarding this case. The prosecutor demanded that Zhiyenbay be sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison.