The media are reporting the dismissal of the first deputy head of the pre-trial investigation service of the Prosecutor General's Office, Nurlybek Sabitov. At the same time, they link this to the so-called "purge in the Prosecutor General's Office of people from Kozhamzharov's team".
According to the publication "Vremya", Sabitov served in the prosecutor's office under the leadership of the head of the special prosecutors' service, Olesya Keksel. It is noted that she received this position after Kairat Kozhamzharov became the head of the Prosecutor General's Office.
"Within a matter of months, following Kairat Perneshovich, more than 200 financial police officers transferred to the prosecutor's office. In total, a loyal team was assembled, which included the young investigator Sabitov. Listing all the criminal cases he was tasked with investigating would fill an entire newspaper," the report states.
Journalists decided to recall the criminal cases in which the so-called "Kozhamzharov's people," including Keksel and Sabitov, allegedly sent innocent citizens to prison.
"Let's start with the head of the Ministry of Health's pharmaceutical committee, Larisa Pak. In the summer of 2017, anti-corruption fighters reported: 'Larisa Pak, former head of SK-Pharmacy Maxim Kasatkin, and director of KazSibPharmacy Alibek Akhmetov have been detained for repeatedly taking bribes.' Larisa was accused of receiving more than 10 million tenge and was sent to a pre-trial detention centre. Later, due to her health condition, actual arrest was replaced with house arrest. For more than two years, Ms Pak fought not only a serious illness but also for the truth," the report says.
Subsequently, in July 2019, Larisa Pak passed away, and in December 2020, the Anti-Corruption Service posthumously rehabilitated the suspect, based on the absence of a criminal offence in her actions.
"It took another three years for the prosecutor's office to finally begin investigations against those who terrorised Pak. Incidentally, Sabitov and Keksel remained outside the orbit of this investigation," the publication reported.
It is also claimed that another innocent victim of Kozhamzharov's people is the former Vice Minister of Energy, Anatoly Shkarupa. It is reported that in 2018, he was detained and brought to trial by employees of the Prosecutor General's Office on charges of embezzling 215 million tenge. However, in January 2021, a district court in Karaganda fully acquitted Shkarupa.
Furthermore, his right to rehabilitation and compensation for moral damages caused by the unlawful actions of the authorities was recognised. In the end, Shkarupa recovered 10 million tenge from the state. Additionally, according to journalists, anti-corruption fighters from Keksel's team accused two deputy ministers of energy, Gani Sadibekov and Bakytzhan Dzhaksaliyev, of causing damage to the state amounting to 2.7 billion tenge.
"They investigated the criminal case for over a year and managed to send it to court with difficulty. This was because the supervising prosecutor and the judge repeatedly found numerous serious blunders during the investigation. When the verdict was announced, many were surprised: court No. 2 of the Baikonyr district of the capital fully acquitted both officials – due to the absence of a criminal offence. The court considered that the damage claimed by the investigation was not confirmed by anything, and the expert examinations, which supposedly established the amount of embezzlement, were conducted with gross violations of the law. The expert lost their licence for forensic expert activity, and the acquitted former officials received the right to rehabilitation," the report states.
At the same time, the publication recalled the criminal case of journalists Asset and Seitkazy Matayev. It is reported that during the investigation and court hearings, opinions among Kazakh media were divided.
"While some supported their colleagues, others, playing along with the anti-corruption fighters, vilified the Matayevs. The main goal of the investigation was the raider seizure of the building and agency 'KazTAG'. Meanwhile, the Matayevs' case was recognised as politically motivated both in Kazakhstan and abroad. The investigation did not provide the court with substantial and irrefutable evidence, but the father and son were sent to a penal colony," the report states.
Later, the Supreme Court overturned the sentence against the Matayevs. Both were rehabilitated and fully acquitted, with their right to compensation for moral damages recognised.
Among other things, journalists from the publication "Vremya" recalled the case of the former head of the department for supervising the legality of operational-search activities of the Almaty prosecutor's office, Viktor Tikhonov.
"Most likely, the patience of Prosecutor General Berik Asylov ran out due to the mass of statements and complaints from the former head of the department for supervising the legality of operational-search activities of the Almaty prosecutor's office, Viktor Tikhonov. Let us recall: in 2017, to prevent Tikhonov from revealing the contract killing of an Almaty customs officer, Medet Zhamashev, a criminal case was opened against the prosecutor," the report states.
A whole array of criminal charges were brought against him, but the former prosecutor failed to convince the court of his innocence. After his release and full rehabilitation, Tikhonov named those who he claims fabricated the case against him. It is reported that these people were allegedly the head of the department of the first service of the Prosecutor General's Office, Bauyrzhan Saugabayev, judge Maratali Beknazarov, as well as the heads of the inter-departmental investigative task force, Nurlybek Sabitov and Abzal Muslim.
In conclusion, it is noted that on 6 December 2018, Kairat Kozhamzharov, from a high platform, called Nurlybek Sabitov the best special prosecutor in the country.
"But there are now grounds to believe that, following Tikhonov's numerous appeals, the investigation may finally be given the go-ahead and some of his tormentors brought to justice. So the personnel purge in the Prosecutor General's Office will continue," the journalists speculated.
Earlier, the editorial board of the FBK recalled some instances of alleged fabrication of criminal cases during the period when Kairat Kozhamzharov and his team were in charge of the law enforcement agencies.
In particular, the situation related to the alleged corruption crime of the chief physician of Almaty City Maternity Hospital No. 1, Nauryzbay Rakishev, in whose case obvious inconsistencies were apparent.
During that period, Kozhamzharov headed the Prosecutor General's Office, the chairman of the then unified agency for civil service affairs and anti-corruption was Alik Shpekbayev, and the deputy head of the Almaty Region Police Department was Nurbol Nazarbayev.
At that time, we tried to find out some details of the covert investigative actions carried out against the former chief physician. But the court simply cited the secrecy of the pre-trial investigation, even though the guilty verdict had already been handed down four years earlier and was in the public domain.
Given the current so-called "purge" in the ranks of the Prosecutor General's Office, perhaps the criminal case against Nauryzbay Rakishev should be re-examined, as numerous facts indicate it was fabricated.