The Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana has sentenced bloggers Yerbolat Zhanabylov and Elmira Tolegenova in a high-profile case linked to their online project. The verdict was announced after the conclusion of the trial.
WHAT SENTENCE DID THE COURT HAND DOWN
Yerbolat Zhanabylov received a suspended sentence of 2 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property and probation supervision.
His wife — Elmira Tolegenova was given 2 years' imprisonment in a minimum-security facility, with the execution of the sentence deferred for 2 years due to the presence of young children.
WILL THE VERDICT BE APPEALED
The convicts' lawyer, Gaukhar Aitzhanova, stated that the defence does not intend to file an appeal.
‘We will not appeal or file an appeal. The main thing is that the guys are free. A deferral of 2 years has been granted. If there are no violations on Elmira's part, the court, taking into account her remorse and compensation for the claim, may release her from further punishment,’ said Gaukhar Aitzhanova.
WHAT WERE THE ZHANABYLOVS ACCUSED OF
The well-known bloggers faced charges under Article 214, Part 2, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (‘Illegal entrepreneurship’) and Article 218, Part 2, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (‘Legalisation (laundering) of money and (or) other property obtained by criminal means’).
WHAT AMOUNTS WERE INVOLVED IN THE CASE
Earlier, the senior assistant prosecutor read out the indictment, according to which the prizes and gifts displayed by the bloggers were purchased using money from the project's participants, even though the adverts created the impression that the prize fund was formed from the organisers' own funds.
According to the investigation, 247 million 653 thousand tenge was deposited into accounts related to the project.