Bronze, Millions, And Weapons: Details of The High-profile ArcelorMittal Case

The trial involving 24 defendants is underway in Astana's specialized inter-district military court, Orda.kz reports. 

Each is accused of various crimes, including causing severe bodily harm, disobeying government officials, extortion, property theft, and creating a criminal group. All events took place around ArcelorMittal enterprises. 

The case has 16 counts. Among them are the theft of galvanized sheets, aluminum, bronze waste, railroad tracks, and the storage of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

On November 25, the court considered the theft of bronze from the ArcelorMittal Temirtau enterprise. 

The prosecution says two defendants, Khasenov and Tolen, created a criminal group to steal property from enterprises in the Karaganda region. Two other defendants, Kozhanasyp and Mautkaliuly, were subordinate to them.

All the crimes were allegedly carefully planned, where each participant performed their functions to seize their targets and not be punished.

The prosecutor's indictment specifies that defendant Kozhanasyp learned from an employee where the bronze items were located at the plant and told Amankhan about it. To implement the plan, defendant Mautkaliuly asked the mechanic to transport the bronze by car through a checkpoint.

On November 30, 2022, Mautkaliuly allegedly secretly drove Amankhan into the territory of ArcelorMittal Temirtau, where he and other defendants loaded bronze bushings weighing 900 kilograms into the car.

And Tolen and Kozhanasyp, according to the prosecution, ensured that they and the others could leave the checkpoint unhindered.

The forensic commodity examination dated October 30, 2023, states that the total damage from the crime amounted to 2,857,929 tenge.

Spare parts for excavators and bushings disappeared from the plant. It is noted that the group leaders, Khasenov and Tolen, distributed the proceeds between themselves and the other accomplices. Each has been charged under Article 188 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

• Khasenov, Tolen, Kozhanasip, and Mautkaliuly are charged under Article 188, Part 4, Clause 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — large-scale theft committed by a criminal group involving illegal entry into an industrial premises.
• Amankhan is charged under Article 188, Part 3, Clause 1, 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan - large-scale theft committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy involving illegal entry into premises. 

Meanwhile, the defendants' lawyers disagreed with the estimated value of the bronze bushings in the expert assessment, claiming that the expert had made calculation errors.

They emphasized that the final amounts did not reflect the actual market value. However, the expert rejected the accusations of inaccuracy.

She stated that her conclusions were based on methodological material she has worked with since 2014. She added that almost everything stolen was new and not worn out.

Orda.kz continues to monitor the trial.

Original Author: Olga Ibraeva