The construction of the railway access line to the Syrymbet deposit in the Aiyrtaу district of the North Kazakhstan Region has still not been completed. The Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) is investigating a case concerning the alleged embezzlement of budgetary funds related to the implementation of the project.
WHAT IS KNOWN
According to the AFM department for the North Kazakhstan Region, in 2017, the Department of Energy and Housing and Communal Services concluded a contract with Akcent KZ LLP for the construction of a railway access line with on-site track development and utility networks to the Syrymbet deposit.
The project was implemented under the Business Roadmap 2020 programme. The total cost of government procurement amounted to 1.4 billion tenge.
WHY THE FACILITY WAS NOT HANDED OVER
Initially, the facility was planned for completion in 2018, but the project implementation deadlines were repeatedly extended. Despite this, construction has still not been completed.
According to the investigation materials, the cost of work not actually carried out amounted to 380 million tenge.
WHO HAS BEEN NAMED AS SUSPECTS
The head of the contracting organisation and the former head of the Department of Energy and Housing and Communal Services have been named as suspects in the case.
With court approval, a seizure has been placed on 3 flats and a parking space. The investigation is ongoing.
No further information is being disclosed in accordance with Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEPOSIT
The Syrymbet deposit is of strategic importance to the region. The AFM notes that it is the only tin deposit in Kazakhstan and the largest in Central Asia.
