Prosecutor’s Office Appeals Suspended Sentence in Almaty Su Theft Case

Maksat Zholdybayev, a department director at Almaty Su, was initially given a suspended five-year sentence for accepting a bribe of 75 million tenge. However, after an appeal by the prosecutor’s office, the court overturned the ruling, sentencing him to five years in prison, Orda.kz reports.

Zholdybayev was the department director at Almaty Su. The case was investigated, completed, and sent to court. Initially, he received a five-year suspended sentence, even though he was accused of attempting to embezzle 75 million tenge from an entrepreneur. After the prosecution’s appeal, an appellate court changed the ruling, sentencing him to five years in prison. He was taken into custody directly from the courtroom,said Darkhan Kurakbayev, Deputy Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Service, while speaking in the Senate. 

The case dates back to April 2024, when Zholdybayev, then deputy general director of Almaty Su, was caught accepting 75 million tenge out of the demanded 354 million tenge bribe.

The Anti-Corruption Service revealed that he had requested the sum from a businessman in exchange for signing certificates of completed work and approving payments under public procurement contracts. 

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov