The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) has uncovered an organised criminal group in the Turkistan Region that embezzled budget funds totalling 1.9 billion tenge through the use of fictitious collateral.
According to the agency's press service, the suspects used a fraudulent scheme to obtain concessional loans under the state programme "Sybaga", aimed at subsidising the purchase of large cattle.
According to the investigation, they set up the LLP "Credit Partnership 'Yassy-Credit NS'" in the city of Kentau, and also used forged documents and fictitious property valuation reports, which were carried out on behalf of the non-existent LLP "Expert Consulting Group".
It is noted that the suspect who organised the scheme held the position of chairman of the commission for reviewing applications for state loans.
"He sought out potential participants, assigned their roles and oversaw the process of arranging fictitious loans. At the same time, he gave instructions on finding individuals to prepare the documents, controlled the monthly payments and participated in drawing up distorted reconciliation statements, and the stolen funds were distributed among the group members", the statement said.
Currently, 27 people have been recognised as suspects. Their property has been seized, totalling more than 1 billion tenge.
Recall that in December 2023, a deputy of the Kobda district maslikhat of the Aktobe region, Assylbek Nurgeldin, appeared in court on suspicion of fraud involving state programme funds.
According to the prosecution, Nurgeldin misled the state, embezzling 457 million tenge. Initially, he submitted a request for subsidies from JSC "Agrarian Credit Corporation" in the amount of 390 million tenge to purchase 600 head of cattle in Russia under the state programme "Sybaga". However, the cattle were never bought. Furthermore, Nurgeldin received an additional 66 million tenge in subsidies for cattle feed.
In September 2024, the FMA uncovered cases of fraud in obtaining loans for breeding pedigree cattle at the Aktobe branch of JSC "Agrarian Credit Corporation". Representatives of four peasant farms, using forged documents, cashed out subsidies and credit funds allocated under the state programme "Sybaga", and did not purchase the livestock. As a result, the state suffered damage on an especially large scale totalling nearly 1 billion tenge.
In October, the prosecutor's office of the Turkistan Region uncovered a scheme to embezzle 203 million tenge, which had been allocated as subsidies for livestock development. A resident of the Sauran district used the electronic digital signatures of 20 individuals. Over three years, he received state subsidies for the purchase of cattle, which were never actually purchased.