The continuation of the long-running investigation into the tragic death of a resident of Balkhash - Meruert Aulbayeva, almost a year after her death.
To date, Meruert's family is still awaiting the results of the pre-trial investigation and the referral of the medical negligence case to court. And while those responsible continue to evade accountability, pressure on the family is only increasing.
At the beginning of October, information appeared in the media that the pre-trial investigation had finally come to an end and "the case would soon be sent to court".
The editorial team of Orda.kz received a corresponding response from the Police Department of the Karaganda Region.
At the same time, Meruert's brother - Aitbek Aulbayev stated on his personal Facebook page that the response referenced by Orda.kz in their article was subjected to amendments on the website shortly after publication.
Specifically, the original text stated that "the guilt of one doctor was determined immediately. And at the request of the woman's relatives, several other medical workers were included in the investigation. An expert examination was ordered to assess their guilt, after the results of which the case would be immediately sent to court".
Aitbek Aulbayev reported that none of the versions of the submitted response correspond to reality.
According to him, the decision to recognise "one doctor" as a suspect was not made "immediately" at all, but only 9 months after Meruert's death.
Regarding the assessment of the guilt of other medical workers, Aitbek Aulbayev stated that his lawyer "submitted a petition to recognise Meruert [Aulbayeva]'s attending physician Miki as a suspect on 8 October, and on 10 October the police issued a refusal to grant this petition".
Furthermore, Meruert's brother said that his relatives and friends are under pressure from the main suspect.
"Since the only suspect was called for questioning at the end of September, the case has taken a new turn. The pressure on me began. He is the suspect, he didn't show up for questioning, he feigned illness and misfortune, so the police aren't bothering him now. Meanwhile, this 'ill and unfortunate' person is running all over the city, meeting with different people and trying to find a way to get to me, putting pressure on my relatives, acquaintances, and friends", wrote Aitbek Aulbayev on Facebook.
It is also worth noting that, according to Meruert's brother, the regional police department spoke of only one suspect, while the health department reported five suspects in this case.
Recall that in July 2023, Meruert Aulbayeva repeatedly contacted the Balkhash clinic with complaints about her health, but she was only seen several days later, and the operation to remove her appendix was performed only after a week, despite the fact that the ultrasound results from the first visit had already revealed peritonitis.
Meruert developed sepsis, with which she lived for three months. On 6 November 2023, the woman died.
The pre-trial investigation into the death in intensive care was initially conducted by the police department of Balkhash; however, according to Meruert's brother, in July the Balkhash police three times ordered the same unnecessary, in his opinion, expert examination, thereby delaying the terms of the investigation.
It was only on 8 August 2024 that the criminal case was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Police Department of the Karaganda Region, and the regional prosecutor's office promised to monitor the legality of the investigation.
As reported by Meruert's brother, at a meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhayev, the Deputy Head of the Police Department of the Karaganda Region, Rashad Uteuov, guaranteed to complete the investigation by the end of September.
A similar promise was made by the Prosecutor of the Karaganda Region, Bauyrzhan Myrzakerov, during a personal meeting with Aitbek Aulbayev.
However, the investigation was not completed within the promised timeframe.
The editorial team of FBRK continues to monitor developments.