Court Acquits Senior Officer in Mangystau After Yearlong Investigation

The prosecutor’s office was unable to prove any of the charges, Orda.kz reports.

In Aqtau, the court acquitted Maksat Kenbayev, a senior officer with the Mangystau Region Department for Combating Organized Crime. He had been charged with several serious offenses, including abuse of power, drug distribution, and participation in an organized crime group,  according to Aqtau blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev.

The investigation lasted about a year. During this time, some charges were reclassified, and several cases against other defendants were dropped. In the end, only Kenbayev was brought to trial, and the court acquitted him.

Kenbayev’s relatives conducted a public campaign, alleging numerous violations during the investigation. They claimed the case was based solely on the testimony of a single drug-addicted witness.

We spent a year under surveillance, wiretapping, and interrogations. Not a single piece of evidence. Only the word of a former police informant who admitted to working for the Organized Crime Department, said the policeman’s brother, Tugelbay Kenbayev.

According to the family’s complaints, examinations were conducted without the defendant’s consent, investigation deadlines were extended without notice, and case materials were released only after appeals to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Presidential Administration.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov