The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) is conducting a pre-trial investigation into a former head of the Astana Culture Department and representatives of a contractor organisation.
According to the agency's press service, they are suspected of embezzling budget funds on an especially large scale.
It has become known that in 2016, during the construction of the "Sun" fountain ("Light illumination and fire show on the Yesil River"), timed to coincide with the celebration of Astana City Day, contracts for the construction of the fountain were concluded without going through the public procurement procedure.
Furthermore, the fountain was built without drawing up design and estimate documentation and without passing state expert review.
In addition, substandard materials were used during construction, which do not meet the technical specifications.
As a result, this facility is in disrepair and has not been operational since 2017. The amount of embezzled funds exceeded 1 billion tenge.
"The suspect - the former head of the State Institution 'Department of Culture' of Astana - has been detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. As part of the case, his property has been seized, consisting of 3 commercial premises, 2 parking spaces, and premium-class apartments in the city of Astana", the statement says.
In total, in this case, property of the suspects worth more than 572 million tenge has been seized.