A court hearing has begun in Ust-Kamenogorsk regarding the former mayor of the city and ex-first deputy governor of the East Kazakhstan Region (EKR), Zhaksylyk Omar. During the session, he fully admitted his guilt in a case of fraud and alleged bribery.
THE SUBSTANCE OF THE FIRST EPISODE
According to Yk-news.kz, the hearing is taking place in the inter-district criminal court of Ust-Kamenogorsk. The prosecutor read out the charges related to two episodes connected to his time working at the akimat (local administration).
According to the prosecution's version, during his tenure as mayor, Zhaksylyk Omar may have been involved in a situation where a vehicle was received as material assistance through one of the enterprises.
As follows from the case materials, the victim submitted a request and received a Toyota Camry 75 (2021 model). Later, according to him, he handed the car over to the akimat and never saw it again. Subsequently, the car was re-registered to a third party and exchanged for a newer model through a trade-in programme, which, according to the investigation, was used by the accused.
The damages are estimated at 13 million tenge. The actions have been classified under paragraphs 1 and 2 of part 3 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Fraud on a large scale"). In court, the victim stated that the damages have been compensated and he has no claims.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SECOND EPISODE
The second episode relates to February. According to the case documents, during a meeting with an employee of the city akimat, Zhaksylyk Omar mentioned the need to transfer 20 million tenge to him.
The accused himself reportedly regarded this as a request. However, the prosecution classified the situation as obtaining a bribe for general patronage.
The akimat employee contacted the National Security Committee (NSC). Under the supervision of the security services, he met the defendant again and proposed paying the money in instalments. On the same day, 6 million tenge was handed over through a third party.
Upon arrest, according to the investigation, 5.6 million tenge was found at the defendant's place of residence and workplace.
THE DEFENDANT'S POSITION AND THE PROGRESS OF THE TRIAL
The defendant, Zhaksylyk Omar, fully admitted his guilt. His lawyers petitioned for a sentence not involving imprisonment.
It was also reported that relatives have prepared funds for a possible fine payment. A bank statement showing a balance of 112 million tenge was presented in court.
The next hearing has been scheduled for 26 March.
BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
On 18 February, the NSC confirmed that a pre-trial investigation was being conducted against the first deputy governor of the EKR, Zhaksylyk Omar.
At that time, the department clarified that other details of the case were not subject to disclosure and the procedural status of the person involved was not revealed.
The name of Zhaksylyk Omar has previously been mentioned in connection with the situation regarding the Schneider Bridge in Ust-Kamenogorsk. This structure was repaired during his tenure as mayor of the city, with significant budget funds allocated for the work.
As previously reported by FBRK, the bridge collapsed again after the repairs, raising questions from residents about the quality of the work and oversight of its execution.
The connection to this structure is not specified in the materials of the current criminal case.