The former head of the culture department of Astana, Bolat Mazhagulov, who is suspected of corruption, has faced public accusations from relatives of concealing children born out of wedlock.
According to the Telegram channel "The Path to Truth", a relative of the defendant, Ulpan Begalina, spoke online about the former official's personal life.
Begalina claims that the person involved in the case of embezzling 1 billion tenge hid the existence of children born out of wedlock and a mistress from his family for 10 years. According to her, he even opened a beauty salon for her in the centre of Astana.
"In your posts, Bolat Bauyrzhanovich, you talk about upholding your constitutional rights. For the sake of fairness, then explain how you deprived your legitimate children of the right to live with their father and to grow up in a complete family. If you take away that right, dealing them a moral and emotional blow, then, like a man, take responsibility. Life throws up all sorts of things, but even when betraying, one can do the right thing," the statement reads.
The woman believes that Mazhagulov's team is trying to create a positive image of the official on social media by deleting negative comments about his past.
"Now Bolat Bauyrzhanovich is trying to present himself to the public as a respectable, honest man. But his actions towards his legitimate family tell a different story. Yes, everyone knows of his generosity, except those who are legally entitled to it," said Begalina.
It will be recalled that in December 2024, Mazhagulov and a representative of the contracting organisation, Madi Kanapin, went on trial in Astana. They are suspected of embezzling more than 1 billion tenge during the construction of the "Sun" fountain ("Light Illumination and Fire Show on the Yesil River"), which has been in a state of disrepair since 2017.
The media reported that the fountain was built without design and estimate documentation and without state expert review, and that substandard materials not meeting technical specifications were used during construction.
As part of the case, a seizure was placed on Bolat Mazhagulov's property, consisting of three commercial premises, two parking spaces, and a premium-class apartment in Astana.
Incidentally, in September, following the news of Mazhagulov's arrest, a member of the Astana public council, Kanat Alin, proposed demolishing the "Sun" fountain. Alin stated that during the fountain's construction, he repeatedly reported to the akimat that it was being built with violations.
In response, deputy head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management of Astana, Samat Abdullin, stated that the fountain could not be demolished in the near future as it constitutes physical evidence in the criminal case.
At the beginning of this year, it became known that Mazhagulov denies guilt in the embezzlement. He is reported to believe that the media are spreading false information beneficial to the investigation. At the same time, he refuted the prosecution's claim that the installation of the fountain was his initiative.