18 August the court delivered a guilty verdict against former editor-in-chief of ORDA, GULNAR BAZHKENOVA. She was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment, with the sentence suspended for 2 years.
WHAT SENTENCE THE COURT HANDED DOWN
Bostandyk District Court No.2, Almaty sentenced Gulnar Bazhkenova to 8 years' imprisonment. However, the execution of the sentence was postponed for 2 years due to her having a child under the age of 14.
The court also imposed a five-year ban on public and professional activity.
Earlier, on 14 August, the prosecutor had requested the same punishment for her.
WHAT BAZHKENOVA SAID
Bazhkenova did not admit guilt on any of the charges. In her final statement, she said she considered herself completely innocent and described the criminal case as politically motivated.
The final hearing took place in a tense atmosphere. The court rejected defence lawyer Eldar Musayev's motion to postpone the proceedings to another day.
Before the hearing began, the defendant stated she was feeling unwell, and as a result, Bazhkenova was given an antiemetic injection. It was noted that, according to medical assessments, she was fit to appear in court.
HOW BAZHKENOVA'S LAWYERS CHANGED
Before the trial began, Bazhkenova reported that five lawyers had refused to represent her interests. After that, the court appointed her a state-appointed defence counsel — lawyer Olga Kim.
However, Bazhkenova later refused Olga Kim's services herself. The lawyer confirmed that the defendant was not obliged to explain the reasons for her refusal. The court granted the motion and ordered that Bazhkenova be assigned another defence counsel from the Almaty City Bar Association.
Previously, Bazhkenova's interests had been represented by lawyer Murat Adam, but in January 2026 he was stripped of his legal licence.
CONTEXT
On 2 July, hearings in the criminal case began in Almaty.
Bazhkenova was charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan at once: embezzlement of entrusted property, illegal entrepreneurship, and dissemination of knowingly false information.
Earlier, the FB RK editorial team had assembled an overall picture of what was happening: versions about money that change right in the courtroom, a phone in cat food, mantra videos during a search, and the question that remained unanswered: how does someone with no cash afford elite apartments?
Watch the full analysis in our special edition on YouTube.