73-Year-Old Passes Away in Taraz Detention Center While Awaiting Appeal in Bribery Case

A 73-year-old man convicted of bribery has passed away in pre-trial detention in the city of Taraz, Orda.kz reports. Talgat Teleuov, who was serving a sentence for attempting to bribe a state revenue official in the Jambyl region, passed away while his case was still under appeal.

Teleuov reportedly suffered from chronic heart disease and had second-degree disability status. During his time in custody, he called for an ambulance 40 times.

His death occurred suddenly and was captured on surveillance footage.

The Case

In the summer of 2023, authorities seized a shipment of 2 million packs of smuggled cigarettes in the town of Merke. The goods were supposed to be destroyed and were placed in storage under the Taraz city Akimat's finance department.

In early 2024, Teleuov allegedly learned about the cargo and planned to resell it for profit. He enlisted his son-in-law, Elimkhan Muradov, and a government official, Saken Ukimbaev, from the State Revenue Department. Through Ukimbayev, they aimed to bribe another official, Zhanibek Kuanishev, to gain access to the cigarettes.

On March 21, Teleuov personally handed over $200,000 in cash to Kuanishev in a parked car outside the “Karakhan Halal” café in Taraz. But Kuanishev was cooperating with anti-corruption authorities. That same night, during an attempted loading of the goods into a Gazelle van, all suspects were detained.

A lower court sentenced the defendants to various prison terms. Teleuov received a nine-year sentence but died before the appeal process concluded.

Original Author: Islambek Dastan