A verdict has been handed down in Ust-Kamenogorsk for the top managers of the company Asia Auto.
As reported by Channel 31, those in the dock were Elena Kuzmina, Igor Potapov, Yerzhan Mandiyev, Dmitry Borzykh, Konstantin Lobanov, Andrey Ryabets, Alexander Tolstikov and Galina Mokina. They were charged with fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
Jusan Bank and the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development were recognised as victims in the case. It has emerged that the prosecution could not prove the damage caused to the state. The charge of 'Fraud' was reclassified to 'Causing property damage through deception or abuse of trust'.
In the end, the court acquitted Kuzmina and Potapov. The other defendants were sentenced to between 2.5 and 2 years and 8 months' imprisonment. However, the court took into account the time spent in custody and under house arrest, and considered the sentence already served.
The court also rejected the civil claim brought against the defendants by Jusan Bank.
'The claim by Jusan Bank JSC for compensation for damages in the amount of 6,612,021,987 tenge is dismissed. Procedural costs in the amount of 992,948 tenge shall be borne by the state. Measures to secure the confiscation of property are to be cancelled', the judge read out.
It is noted that the trials against the heads of Asia Auto, Anatoly Balushkin and Yerik Sagymbaev, are ongoing.
Recall that in May 2023, the AFM launched a pre-trial investigation against the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asia-Bipek Auto, Anatoly Balushkin, the General Director of Asia Auto JSC, Yerik Sagymbaev, and a number of top managers of the group of companies. At the time, they were accused of embezzling more than 230 billion tenge.
In August 2024, a trial in absentia began in Ust-Kamenogorsk against Anatoly Balushkin. It was reported that in 2020, the authorities terminated the contract with the company and demanded the return of government-allocated funds amounting to 174 billion tenge. According to the investigation, the company's representatives failed to fulfil their obligations regarding the industrial assembly of cars. The company had received tax benefits totalling this amount over 10 years.