An inspection of enterprises receiving government subsidies for dairy production has concluded in Shymkent. Based on the findings, auditors have estimated the alleged damage to the state at 5 billion tenge, and materials have been forwarded for procedural decisions.
WHAT THE INSPECTION FOUND
As reported by journalist Mikhail Kozachkov on his Telegram channel ‘Kozachkov offside’, according to the inspection data conducted by the Departments of Internal State Audit and the Committee for National Security (KNB) under the coordination of the prosecutor's office, 12 companies receiving government subsidies are suspected of artificially inflating dairy production volumes and providing false information about their livestock numbers.
The alleged damage to the state amounted to 5 billion tenge. At the time of publication, the materials have been forwarded for procedural decisions.
WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE CITED
Details are also provided regarding inspections of several companies — ‘Novoe Moloko’, ‘Mayly-Sut’, ‘Molochny Master’, and ‘IS Moloko’. The audit uncovered financial irregularities, and investigative actions included searches and interrogations of suppliers.
It is claimed that the investigation established that a dairy production facility was not operational, and that 15 peasant farms, which the investigation alleges supplied milk, had no cattle. It is also reported that the alleged damage related to the activities of these companies exceeded 1.3 billion tenge.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CRIMINAL CASE
The criminal case concerning one of the episodes was terminated by a prosecutor's office ruling. The stated reasons, it is claimed, include the failure to acquaint the participants in the proceedings with the audit results, as well as a conclusion that the inspection's arguments were premature and unfounded. Furthermore, it is noted that the relevant transactions were not declared invalid.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Investigations related to the alleged illegal receipt of agricultural subsidies have previously been conducted in various regions of the country. For instance, the Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM) sent to court the case of a former deputy of the Almaty Region, whom the investigation suspects of illegally obtaining subsidies worth more than 2.6 billion tenge.
In the Almaty Region, two defendants received up to 6 years in prison in a case involving the illegal receipt of 251 million tenge in subsidies, while in the Kostanay Region, a court found 30 people guilty in a case involving the theft of more than 2.5 billion tenge. In the Turkistan Region, the chairperson of an agricultural cooperative was found guilty of illegally obtaining more than 20 million tenge in subsidies.
Furthermore, questions about the distribution of agricultural subsidies have already been raised regarding Minister of Agriculture Aydarbek Saparov. Journalists have noted that his close relatives run businesses in the agricultural sector receiving state support, and have questioned a possible conflict of interest. The minister himself stated that he is not a founder of these enterprises, and that decisions on granting subsidies are made by regional akimats, not the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
