Prosecutor Seeks Seven Years for Former Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Yerlan Kozhagapanov

The trial over the alleged embezzlement of one billion tenge during the XV Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia is nearing its conclusion in Astana’s inter-district criminal court, Orda.kz reports.

On trial are former Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Yerlan Kozhagapanov and Lyazzat Kokkozova, head of the company Success K. Kozhagapanov is charged with abuse of office, while Kokkozova is accused of theft.

According to investigators, in 2018, Kozhagapanov used his position to favor a private company in securing the contract to organize the forum, held in Petropavlovsk. The Anti-Corruption Agency claims the event’s costs were artificially inflated, nearly doubling the actual expenses.

During the May 5 court hearings, prosecutor Arman Kiziken requested a seven-year prison sentence for Kozhagapanov. The prosecution also asked the court to strip him of the Aibyn Order (Order of Valor), 2nd Class and his special rank of “colonel of the customs service.”

For Lyazzat Kokkozova, the prosecutor requested eight years in prison with asset confiscation and a seven-year ban on holding financially responsible or executive positions in commercial companies.

The state prosecution also asked the court to partially satisfy a civil claim against both defendants, seeking the recovery of over one billion tenge.

Both defendants deny wrongdoing. Kozhagapanov has claimed in court that the case against him was fabricated and accused investigators of applying pressure.

Kozhagapanov was detained by the Anti-Corruption Service in March 2024.

The XV Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia was held in November 2018, with the participation of Nursultan Nazarbayev and Vladimir Putin. During the event, the two leaders signed several key agreements, including amendments to the Baikonur lease protocol and border-crossing arrangements for residents in frontier regions.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva