The Kokshetau City Court is hearing a case against the former governor of the North Kazakhstan Region, ex-senator Samat Eskendirov.
According to media reports, the trial began on 3 June. The former governor is accused under Article 190, Part 4, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, concerning fraud. According to the court of the Akmola Region, the suspect is under a written undertaking not to leave the place of residence.
It is reported that he is accused of pledging land plots belonging to residents of the village of Akylbay, Burabay district, Akmola Region, based on a falsified protocol.
"In 2005, they transferred their shared lands to the LLP 'Esil-Agro'; in 2008, he pledged them to the bank three times for almost 6 billion tenge illegally. The National Security Committee found forged signatures. We appealed everything in court, then in 2021, Eskendirov and Yeslyamov sold our lands to his 'baldyzka' (younger sister of his wife), Mailina Roza", said village resident Baurzhan Serikpayev.
The villager also accused the district akimat of obstructing the registration of land plots.
"What's typical is that we wanted to register [the land] for ourselves, but they won't let us; there is resistance – the district akimat backs Eskendirov, an oligarch; the same goes for the head of the district's land committee. And in 2021, Mailina did it in literally two or three days. Although she had no money or equipment. They don't let us, the people, leave the [shareholding] – we've been in this for 18 years, like in slavery. The shares yield 700 kg [of waste/grain?], productivity has completely fallen. Now it's generally 4 centners per hectare. At the moment, there is a trial for fraud. Eskendirov Samat Saparbekovich – former governor of the North Kazakhstan Region, former senator who was supposed to be for the people – he robbed the people; now they leave the courtroom, elderly people clutching their hearts, giving testimony against him. But he has a lot of connections; he is a former regional governor, a senator. Currently, he has money; he has seven lawyers, and we, the people, have one lawyer. No one stands up for us. We fight through all instances but no one hears us. We don't even appeal to the district [authorities] anymore", complained Serikpayev.
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the victims, Manarbek Abzhanov, complains about the court's bias towards the village residents. Furthermore, he said that unknown individuals are threatening the villagers. He even filed a petition with the court to take security measures for the victims.
The state prosecutor also supported this motion. The court found that relatives of the defendant are visiting and calling, asking [the victims] to drop the charges against Eskendirov. However, the Kokshetau judge Dinara Nurzhanova refused to grant the request.
In turn, Eskendirov's lawyers claim that the court case is merely a civil dispute between shareholders.
"I fundamentally disagree with the accusation. In reality, it's a corporate dispute. Currently, within the one enterprise, LLP 'Esil-Agro,' the participants are splitting into several groups", stated lawyer Kairat Ilyasov.
It is noted that Eskendirov was appointed governor of the North Kazakhstan Region in January 2013. A year later, he resigned. It then became known that the reasons for this unusual step were criminal cases against the head of the construction department and the deputy governor of one of the districts.
It is also reported that in various years, Eskendirov worked as governor of the Zhambyl and Kyzylzhar districts of the North Kazakhstan Region. In August 2011, he was elected as a Senate deputy of the parliament from the North Kazakhstan Region on the list of the Nur Otan party. He served as a senator until January 2013.