In November 2023, a fire safety inspection was carried out at the Republican State Institution 'South Kazakhstan Hydrogeological and Land Reclamation Expedition' of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Engineer-inspector of the Department for Emergency Situations (DES) of Shymkent, Nursultan Ashim, identified numerous violations and issued an order to the head of the RSI demanding they be rectified within the established timeframe.
According to Ratel.kz, the inspector later returned to check compliance with the order and found that some violations had not been remedied. In accordance with the law, Ashim was required to draw up a report on an administrative offence, which could have led to fines being imposed on the institution or even the suspension of its activities.
However, the head of the RSI, Gulshat Sagatova, to avoid legal proceedings, handed the inspector a bribe of 20,000 tenge in cash and a voucher for 30 litres of AI-92 petrol worth 5,940 tenge.
It is reported that the DES inspector accepted the reward and agreed to ignore the identified violations. Both were later detained by officers of the Anti-Corruption Service.
As a result, a criminal case was opened against Sagatova for offering a bribe (Article 367, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan), and Ashim was charged with receiving an illegal reward (Article 366, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
At the court hearing, Sagatova explained her actions by referring to the institution's limited budget. According to her, the inspection revealed twenty violations, but due to a lack of additional funds, a number of shortcomings could not be rectified. Fearing that the institution's work would be suspended and employees would be left without wages, she offered the inspector a bribe. The defendant pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.
The engineer also admitted guilt and stated that he agreed not to draw up the report after persistent requests from the head of the RSI.
The Interdistrict Criminal Court of Shymkent found the guilt of both defendants proven. Gulshat Sagatova was fined 389,100 tenge, and Nursultan Ashim 778,200 tenge. Both were permanently barred from holding public office. Additionally, a mandatory payment will be collected from them for the victim compensation fund.