Auditors identified irregularities in the payment of advances to contractors and in changes to project documentation in the construction department of the Taraz akimat. Following the audit, officials were instructed to restore uncompleted work worth 1.5 billion tenge and to amend the documentation for asphalting the «Buryl» residential area. Later, the Supreme Audit Chamber (SAC) reported that the identified irregularities had been remedied.
HOW THE IRREGULARITIES WERE IDENTIFIED
According to Hronika.kz, the irregularities were found during an audit of the effectiveness of the use of state resources in the Zhambyl region for 2024–2025.
In the first half of 2025, the construction department of the Taraz akimat transferred an additional 1.5 billion tenge to contractor organisations for the construction of residential buildings in the «Aulie Ata» microdistrict, which is now called «Balausa» (14th microdistrict).
At the same time, the contractors had not yet completed the work for 2024 for which they had already received advance payments. Under the budget execution rules, the advance received must be fully confirmed by completed work to the corresponding amount.
The SAC noted that the additional payments created risks of inefficient spending of budget funds and pointed to the absence of proper control over the fulfilment of contractual obligations.
WHAT IRREGULARITIES WERE FOUND IN THE «BURYL» RESIDENTIAL AREA
Auditors recorded another episode during the implementation of the road asphalting project in the «Buryl» residential area.
By a decision of the technical council, the installation of aryk channels and stormwater wells was excluded from the project, and the stipulated volumes of asphalt were reduced. The total cost of the excluded work and volumes amounted to 683.3 million tenge.
At the same time, the project and estimate documentation was not revised. The SAC explained that the changes affected structural solutions and required the documentation to be amended in accordance with the law.
HOW THE IDENTIFIED IRREGULARITIES WERE REMEDIED
Following the audit, the SAC instructed that the uncompleted volumes of work worth 1.5 billion tenge be restored and that the necessary changes be made to the project and estimate documentation for the facility in the «Buryl» residential area. Documents were prepared for the project to adjust the estimate, including the technical council decision, a comparative statement and estimate calculations. In addition, the contract amount with the contractor was reduced, bringing the cost of asphalting into line with the actual volume of work.
For the construction of residential buildings in the «Aulie Ata» microdistrict, the work was completed in full.
WHO HEADED THE CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT DURING THE AUDIT
In 2024–2025, the construction department was headed by Damir Zhamanbayev. He held this position from 2024 until 28 April 2026, after which he was appointed deputy akim of Taraz Bakytzhan Orynbekov.
Another former head of the Taraz construction department, Nurbol Kaldybayev, who subsequently also became deputy akim of the city for construction and housing and communal services, was convicted in May 2025.
He was found guilty of signing fictitious acceptance certificates for unfinished houses in another microdistrict of Taraz under construction — «Uly Dala».
