The former head of a penal colony in the North Kazakhstan Region (NKR) has been found guilty by a court of attempting to obtain money from a convict under the pretext of helping to reduce their sentence. He has been fined 3 million tenge and given a lifetime ban from holding positions in the civil service.
WHAT THE COURT ESTABLISHED
The defendant in the case is the former head of institution No. 52 in the village of Olshanka, Kyzylzhar District, NKR — Rustem Rakhmetov. He had been in charge of the penal colony since December 2024, reports Qazaqstan Media.
The court found that Rakhmetov, using his official position, convinced convict Kazhmurat Ayup that he could influence a court decision to reduce the sentence. However, as stated in the indictment, he knew he had no such capability.
HOW THE SITUATION DEVELOPED
According to the case materials, in December 2025, Rakhmetov offered the convict ‘help’ for 500 thousand tenge. This allegedly involved assistance in getting the sentence changed through employees of the prosecutor's office, although no specific individuals were named.
After a first-instance court refused to grant the request, the offer was repeated — this time for 200 thousand tenge, now in the context of an appeal.
Later, according to the convict's testimony, the discussion also touched on the matter of parole.
THE ROLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
The convict contacted the National Security Committee (NSC) and began cooperating with the investigation. As part of the operational measures, he handed over money that had been pre-treated with a special substance.
On 19 February 2026, the money was handed over in the prison head's office. It was subsequently seized during investigative actions.
WHAT SENTENCE WAS IMPOSED
The Criminal Court of the city of Petropavlovsk, presided over by Judge Azamat Ashimov, found Rakhmetov guilty.
He was sentenced as follows:
- a fine of 3 million tenge;
- a lifetime ban from holding positions in the civil service.
The court also took into account the period he spent under house arrest from 21 February to 2 April 2026. This measure was credited against the fine in the amount of 354,650 tenge.
In addition, the convict was stripped of his special rank of Lieutenant Colonel of Justice.
STATUS OF THE VERDICT
The court's verdict has not yet entered into legal force.