Activist Accused of Wallet Theft After Demanding Water Access Now Plans to File Complaint

In her efforts to advocate for water supply in her neighborhood, activist Lyudmila Sengirbayeva nearly ended up accused of theft, Orda.kz reports.

In 2024, a criminal case was opened against her after she was accused of stealing a wallet from Sanjar Alin, the Akim of Almaty’s Bostandyq district. No evidence was found, and now Sengirbayeva says she intends to file a complaint for false denunciation.

She spoke to Orda.kz about the incident.

It began with what was meant to be a routine meeting. In late October 2024, Sengirbayeva and residents of the Yermensay micro-district went to the district Akimat to demand a resolution to their ongoing issue: during the summer, homes were left without water.

They arrived at the appointed time, but according to Sengirbayeva, Akim Alin suddenly left, citing an urgent meeting. Residents waited for over two hours, but the official never returned. Sengirbayeva briefly looked into the office — it was empty.

But the next day, the police arrived at her home. Alin had accused her of stealing a wallet from his office.

When journalists recently asked Alin about the case, he confirmed that it was being closed by the prosecutor’s office but declined to give further details.

Sengirbayeva said the matter is far from settled.

It's still ongoing. They opened a criminal case, formed an investigative task force. They botched it so badly that you couldn't get there on a mangy goat. But then they somehow let it all slide. But I said that no investigative actions were carried out. And we insisted that they conduct an investigative experiment. Because I'm in the frame for 3–4 seconds on the video. And this experiment proved that I couldn't have stolen that wallet.

According to her, the case was ultimately registered as “unsolved."

But Sengirbayeva and her legal team pushed for answers from the police. They also sought a meeting with Almaty Deputy Prosecutor Askhat Sharipov.

That meeting took place on June 19, and they were told the case would be officially closed.

When they  officially close the case, I am going to write a statement against Sanjar Alin for false denunciation and hold him accountable. We did not go to the Akimat out of boredom, but because we demanded a solution to the accumulated problems in our district. But the officials of the Bostandyq Akimat, instead of working and solving our problems, decided to get rid of us in this way. 

Sengirbayeva claims that the investigation was poorly handled from the start: the original investigator resigned, a replacement was never appointed, and no real progress was made.

In general, it's a complete mess there. Now I have renovations at home and some other things to do. On July 17, there will be a meeting of delegations of public activists from neighboring countries in Almaty, but after July 20, I will not leave the police department, the prosecutor's office, I will achieve the closure of the case and then immediately file a statement about false denunciation. 

Meanwhile, she adds, the original issue remains unresolved: residents of Yermensay are still without a stable water supply.

Original Author: Danil Utyupin