Penal Enforcement Officials Sentenced for Bribery Scheme

Two former penal enforcement officials have been convicted of accepting bribes in Qonayev, reports Orda.kz.

Petr Pisarev, the former head of Correctional Colony No. 57, and Yerlan Bolekbay, who led the operational department at Institution No. 12, were found guilty of systematically accepting payments in exchange for patronizing certain inmates and facilitating the smuggling of prohibited items into the prisons.

The court found Pisarev guilty and sentenced him to nine years in prison. Bolekbay received three years in prison. Both will serve their sentences in medium-security facilities,  the department commented.

Pisarev was initially detained in March and held in a temporary detention facility while under investigation for bribery. 

In May, authorities arrested Nurlan Bidaybekov, the deputy head of regime and operational work at Institution No. 57, on similar bribery charges.

Original Author: Alina Pak