Oilfield Services Company Kezbi: Executive Director Detained in Mangystau

The Mangystau Region FMA Department opened a criminal case under “Fraud on an Especially Large Scale.”

Yerzhan Kezbayev is suspected of embezzling 321 million tenge allocated by JSC OzenMunayGaz to pay salaries to the company's employees and of tax evasion (about 1.5 billion tenge).

In 2021, Kezbi entered into contracts with OzenMunayGaz for repair work – 65 thousand tenge per team per hour.

The cost was later increased to 87 thousand tenge per team per hour to improve the social package for workers, including increased wages and medical benefits.

According to the investigation, the company's director stole a significant portion of the funds, namely 321 million tenge, without improving social conditions for employees.

FMA officers detained suspect Kezbayev on Sunday, November 3. They are conducting investigations to establish the crime's circumstances. Other information is not subject to disclosure. 

At the end of October, the employees of Kezbi in Zhanaozen went on strike, thereby "freezing" the work of the entire enterprise. Orda journalists contacted the company's supervisor, Yerzhan Kezbayev.

"Kezbi" is an oilfield services company that was considered one of the first private firms to appear in the country after its independence. The company's registration documents were completed 26 years ago, in 1998.

The company's first director and current stakeholder (founder) is Bitim Kezbayev.

Over the past few years, thousands of Kezbi employees have repeatedly gone on strike, demanding better working conditions and higher wages.

Original Author: Rimma Karatayeva