Representatives of Freedom Finance have filed a motion to hold the criminal trial regarding representatives of KazTAG News Agency in a closed session. As a basis, the company stated that information constituting banking secrecy may be disclosed during the proceedings.
WHY FREEDOM IS ASKING FOR A CLOSED PROCEEDING
According to information published by a number of media outlets, the corresponding motion was made at a recent hearing of the Almaly District Court of Almaty. At the same time, the lawyer for the General Director of KazTAG News Agency Aset Mataev, Yelena Zhigalyonok, asked for the criminal case to be returned to the prosecutor.
Representatives of Freedom Finance believe that during the examination of the criminal case materials, information related to banking secrecy will be considered. The company justifies the need for a closed proceeding on this basis.
THE PROCEEDING HAS ALREADY BEEN POSTPONED SEVERAL TIMES
The trial has been accompanied by a number of procedural events that have repeatedly become the subject of public discussion.
Earlier, hearings were postponed for various reasons. In addition, the editor-in-chief of KazTAG News Agency, Amir Kassenov, went on a dry hunger strike, after which a deterioration in his condition was reported. He later announced the end of the hunger strike, explaining that he intends to participate fully in the court process.
Previously, the court also changed Kassenov's pre-trial measure from house arrest to detention in custody, citing repeated violations of the conditions of the previously chosen pre-trial measure.
WHAT THE DISPUTE IS ABOUT
The legal dispute between Freedom Finance and KazTAG News Agency has been ongoing for a long time and has gone beyond the bounds of the court process itself. Throughout the investigation, both sides have regularly publicly stated their positions through statements, interviews, and publications.
Representatives of Freedom Finance state that this is about protecting the company's business reputation. According to the words of lawyer Nazerke Rizabekova, the information published by the agency has already been the subject of legal proceedings, and the actions of the editorial board, in the company's opinion, bore signs of a targeted information campaign.
KazTAG News Agency previously rejected this assessment, stating that the publications were based on citizen appeals and were prepared as part of journalistic activity.
Against the backdrop of the public polemic, almost every procedural decision in the case becomes a subject of discussion. At the same time, the court will have to assess the arguments of the parties, the evidence presented, and the circumstances of the criminal case.