Kulager Hockey Club Employee Detained on Fraud Suspicion

It took police several days to track down the suspect. Sergei Fil was detained on October 5 and has already been brought to Petropavlovsk, Orda.kz reports.

Sergei Fil is suspected of illegally collecting money from Russian foreign players. In exchange for payment, he promised to help them expedite the process of obtaining Kazakhstani citizenship.

Fil hasn't reported to work or contacted management since September 24. The defrauded athletes then contacted the police. Four hockey players filed complaints. Sergei Fil was charged with fraud and placed on the wanted list.

It took several days to establish his whereabouts. The fugitive sports official was eventually found, but his exact location remains unclear.

Police in the North Kazakhstan region have detained a 45-year-old Astana resident suspected of fraud. He has been placed in a temporary detention facility,
the regional police department commented.

Hockey club director Igor Sherstov is all but disowning his employee. HR has already filed an absence report, and they're ready to fire him within a month, unilaterally terminating his employment contract.

Sherstov claims he wasn't aware of the passport scam.

Sergey Fil was hired by the Kulager hockey club last December. He served as the team manager, organizing trips, training camps, and training sessions. As for the injured club employees, these were private civil-law relationships. This has nothing to do with the club manager's official duties,
 Sherstov stated.

He also had no idea about his employee's criminal past.

In 2017, Sergei Fil was put on the wanted list in Russia. According to media reports in a neighboring country, he rented apartments under false names, stole appliances and furniture, and then disappeared.

Original Author: Kristina Yusicheva