The Uspensky District Court of Pavlodar Region has considered a criminal case concerning the embezzlement of budget funds allocated under the state programme "Strong Regions – Drivers of the Country's Development".
According to the press service of the regional prosecutor's office, a pre-trial investigation into the fraud began after an audit of the activities of the State Institution "Centre for Labour Mobility in Pavlodar Region".
The investigation revealed that specialists from the Uspensky District branch "Career Centre" misled participants of the voluntary resettlement programme.
It emerged that resettlers are entitled to a payment of half the cost of the purchased housing, with a maximum payout threshold of 4 million tenge.
In turn, the convicted individuals gave the victims deliberately false instructions to find a house at a reduced price, while stating an inflated price of 8 million tenge in the purchase agreement. The resettlers then handed over the difference to the defendants, purportedly under the terms of the programme.
"Thus, through fraudulent actions, a scheme was artificially created to cash out and embezzle budget funds," the statement reads.
The total damage to the state amounted to 144 million tenge.
The court found the defendants guilty and sentenced one of them to 5 years' imprisonment and the other to 3 years' restriction of liberty.