Former Vice Minister Yerlan Kozhagapanov Sentenced to Prison

In Astana, a court has sentenced former Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Yerlan Kozhagapanov to three years in prison for abuse of office, Orda.kz reports.

According to the investigation, Kozhagapanov supported the interests of a private company during the organization of the XV Interregional Forum of Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia in 2018. 

The Anti-Corruption Service stated that the event’s expenses were unjustifiably doubled, resulting in the misappropriation of one billion tenge in funds.

The trial lasted five months.

Kozhagapanov Yerlan Toktarkhanovich is found guilty of committing a criminal offense under Article 361, Part 4, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and sentenced to three years' imprisonment with a lifelong ban on holding positions in the civil service, courts and local government bodies, the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan and its departments (...). The term of serving the sentence is calculated from the date the sentence comes into legal force. The measure of restraint in the form of detention is retained,
announced the judge of the Astana Interdistrict Criminal Court. 

Kozhagapanov will serve his sentence in a medium-security penal colony. He was also stripped of state awards, including the Aibyn Order, 2nd degree.

Lyazzat Kokkozova, whose company, Success K, organized the forum in 2018, was also on trial. 

Initially charged with embezzlement, the charge was reclassified to fraud (Article 190 of the Criminal Code). She was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. The court also ordered her to repay over one billion tenge to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

The Anti-Corruption Service detained Kozhagapanov in March 2024.

The XV Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia was held in November 2018, with the participation of presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Vladimir Putin. Agreements signed included changes to the Baikonur lease arrangement and border-crossing procedures for residents of border regions.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva