FBRK.KZ

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan has presented a draft resolution providing for changes to the rules on the cultivation of industrial hemp, including a relaxation of requirements for crop protection. It is proposed to abandon the mandatory continuous physical fencing of plantations and to use technical means of control.

In Zhambyl Region, the former chief doctor of Merken District Hospital, Meirambek Darmenov, has been detained. He is suspected of allegedly embezzling budget funds totalling over 32 million tenge. He is currently being held in a pre-trial detention centre in Taraz, and the circumstances of the case are being established.

In Kazakhstan, the procedure for obtaining a temporary residence permit (TRP) for foreigners and stateless persons has been changed. The new rules clarify the deadlines for submitting applications and strengthen data checks, which directly affects the application process.

In Kazakhstan, the veterinary sector is facing a critical shortage of staff and a high workload for specialists. One vet is serving up to 2,000 head of cattle against a norm of 750, while working conditions remain difficult and infrastructure weak. Experts are proposing digitalisation, tighter controls and the development of vaccine production, while the Ministry of Agriculture is drawing up a comprehensive plan to reform the sector.

In Kokshetau, the AFM is investigating a case concerning the possible theft of over 160 million tenge during the construction of utility networks. According to the investigation, contractor organisations inflated the volume of work, and some of it was never actually carried out, despite signed reports and payment from the budget. The court has placed a lien on the suspects' property, and the investigation is ongoing.

The National Security Committee (NSC) has identified more than 60 instances of corruption in the provision of public services in the areas of driving licences and property registration. Violations have been recorded in several regions at once.

A video message has appeared online from a man claiming to be the executor of tasks for Sanzhar Bokayev. He alleges that he took part in staged filming involving granite slabs and tree felling in Almaty, and also stated that a previously recorded video about pressure from the police was fabricated. Bokayev was earlier detained on suspicion of fraud; his guilt has not been proven.

In the Kyzylorda region, a court found a civil servant and a doctor guilty in a case involving a fake sick note. According to the prosecutor's office, a SES employee used a fictitious medical certificate to conceal an administrative arrest, and the document was produced by a doctor at a district hospital. The court sentenced the doctor to one year of restricted freedom, and the civil servant to a fine.

In Kazakhstan, police officers from the North Kazakhstan region, together with the border service, have shut down a smuggling channel for precursors that were being imported under the guise of household chemicals. During the operation, two drug laboratories in the Akmola and Almaty regions were dismantled, and a number of suspects were detained. Three tonnes of precursors and around 200 kg of synthetic drugs worth approximately 5 billion tenge were seized, preventing the distribution of more than 600,000 single doses.

The Ministry of Agriculture has changed the rules for subsidising loans under guarantee and insurance schemes. The document clarifies the conditions for issuing guarantees and subsidising loans in the agro-industrial complex (AIC).