Despite the completion of the investigation into the death of Meruert Aulbayeva, the process of transferring the case to court is being delayed, claims the victim's brother.
Aitbek Aulbayev shared on his personal Facebook page that the investigation was officially completed on March 11, 2025, however a month later, the case has still not been transferred to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of an indictment.
For context, Meruert Aulbayeva died on November 6, 2023, from multiple organ failure following operations performed at Balkhash Hospital. The latest forensic medical examination confirmed a causal link between the actions of the medical staff and the fatal outcome.
According to Aitbek Aulbayev, the delay is connected to the procedure of familiarising the suspect with the case materials, which consists of 13 volumes.
"The suspect and his lawyers have repeatedly stated that they are already familiar with all the expert reports, which make up the majority of this case", claims the victim's brother.
He also notes that several volumes of the criminal case consist of various motions and complaints from the suspect, which, in Aulbayev's opinion, are aimed at maximally delaying the process in order to avoid criminal liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Aitbek Aulbayev has appealed to the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, Berik Asylov, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerzhan Sadenov, asking why law enforcement agencies are not establishing a schedule for familiarisation in order to prevent the suspect from abusing their right.
"My rights as a victim in this case are being completely ignored", states Aulbayev, comparing the situation to other cases where the familiarisation procedure takes a more reasonable amount of time.
As previously reported, the investigation into the death of Meruert Aulbayeva has been ongoing for more than 16 months. During this time, several forensic medical examinations have been conducted, the last of which confirmed the guilt of the medical staff.
During the investigation, violations were identified on the part of law enforcement officers, which led to disciplinary sanctions, including the dismissal from their post of the deputy head of the Balkhash city police department.
Balkhash Hospital and its management were held administratively liable and fined an amount of over 6 million tenge. The doctor who performed the operations on Meruert Aulbayeva was transferred to a diagnostic level of work.