Perizat Kairat’s 10-Year Prison Sentence Upheld

The Astana Court has upheld the sentence in the case of Perizat Kairat and her mother, Gaini Alashbayeva, Orda.kz reports.

Aslanbek Dauletyarov, Perizat's lawyer, argued in the appellate court that there is no evidence of fraud or money laundering through the NGO Biz Birgemiz Qazaqstan 2030.

The relationships between the parties under consideration in the criminal case are considered civil. Such a dispute is not subject to criminal proceedings. According to paragraph 10 of Article 1 of the Law 'On Charity,' charity is property provided free of charge. Therefore, 51 benefactors in the case were unlawfully recognized as victims, said Dauletyarov.

The scale of Perizat Kairat's work as the head of the NGO Biz BirgemizQazaqstan 2030 and as a simple volunteer, as well as the enormous amount of funds she has donated to help those in need, confirms her charitable work, the lawyer stated.

The defense requested the verdict to be overturned, for both defendants to be acquitted on all charges, and for all civil claims for damages to be dismissed.

Dauletyarov also raised questions about the property seized from Kairat.

No verification was conducted to determine whether the items and jewelry seized from Perizat Kairat's apartment were genuine. This significantly impacts the value of these items, he added.

On July 25, Perizat Kairat was sentenced to ten years in prison for fraud and money laundering. She had her property confiscated and was stripped of her state award.

Gaini Alashbayeva was sentenced to seven years in prison on the same charges.

Investigators claim the two stole three and a half billion tenge. By court order, the confiscated property will be used to compensate victims, including major Kazakhstani banks Forte, Alatau City Bank (formerly Jusan), and fintech company Kaspi.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya