“Here I Remember, Here I Don’t”: Court Questions Witnesses in Case Against Security Officer Sarbasov

The Shymkent City Court continues hearings in the criminal case against former head of the 10th department of the National Security Committee, Manat Sarbasov, and his alleged accomplices. Among the defendants are representatives of private companies and former health department officials, Orda.kz reports.

The court is currently examining episodes linked to the purchase of protective gear and medical equipment. Members of the public procurement commission are testifying, and all have stated that commission meetings never took place.

They say signatures in the Minutes were collected either at colleagues’ requests or formally, without reviewing applications or supply volumes. Investigators believe these circumstances played a key role in the corruption scheme allegedly led by Sarbasov.

Witness Testimony from Ibragim Akzhol

Commission member Ibragim Akzhol, summoned as a witness, told the court he does not remember the circumstances of signing the documents. He explained that during the quarantine period, members did not meet in person — all papers were delivered directly to the hospitals where they worked.

All the documents we needed were brought to us, and we signed them. We didn’t participate in any commission work; we sat in the hospital. They brought the papers, said everything was already decided, and asked for our signatures — that’s all, Akzhol said.

He added that in 2021, he twice suffered from severe coronavirus, experienced clinical death, and has memory gaps as a result.

However, he recalled that the papers were often brought by Chingiz, an assistant to the head of the health department:

I only remember that all the commission members stayed in their hospitals, no one went anywhere. There was some Chingiz … he usually came with all the papers.

Here I Remember, Here I Don’t

At the hearing, Chingiz Dzhanabayev, who is also implicated in the case, asked Akzhol whether he remembered who actually delivered the documents — Dzhanabayev himself or the commission secretary. Akzhol replied that he did not remember.

The prosecutor then reminded the court that during both the investigation and earlier testimony, Akzhol had directly named Dzhanabayev as the person who brought the papers:

Dear court, this witness clearly stated during the investigation and in court that it was Dzhanabayev who brought the documents for signature. And now, facing the suspect, he says he doesn’t remember. I ask the court to take this into account.

“They Convinced Me to Sign”

The court also questioned Bulat Turmanov, who headed the regional health department from March to July 2021. He was one of the signatories of the Minutes of the Tender Committee meeting for a procurement tender that investigators say was not conducted properly.

Turmanov testified that he does not remember either the tender or the committee meeting. He claimed he first saw the Minutes with his signature during the investigation, but recognized the signature as his own.

He explained how it might have appeared there:

Dzhanabayev came into my office with a ready Minutes and asked me to sign. Since I hadn’t participated in the meeting and didn’t know if it was held, I refused at first. But Dzhanabayev convinced me to sign.

Tender Episode and Alleged Profit

Investigators say Sarbasov used his position to provide patronage in awarding contracts for medical equipment and protective gear. The tenders in question totaled more than 92 million tenge.

According to the prosecution, Sarbasov personally received 14.4 million tenge, of which he invested 7.5 million in equipment purchases, leaving him with a net profit of 6.9 million tenge.

The money was allegedly funneled through the accounts of trusted individuals. Case materials mention the purchase of a car, suggesting possible attempts to launder the proceeds.

The case against Sarbasov remains in the spotlight. Court hearings continue, with further focus on multi-million–tenge tenders. 

Orda will continue to follow the case.

Original Author: Alexandra Kim