Shymkent Military Court Sentences Fuel Depot Chief to Nine Years in Prison

On December 6, the Shymkent Military Court sentenced the 33-year-old head of a military unit’s fuel and lubricants warehouse to nine years in prison, Orda.kz reports.

He had been under house arrest and released on bail; after the verdict, he was taken into custody directly in the courtroom. The court also ordered him to compensate the state for damages through a civil claim.

Investigators say the case concerns a fuel theft scheme that operated in the unit between 2021 and 2022, alleging that the warehouse head took part in document forgery. Preliminary losses to the state are estimated at 114 million tenge.

The defendant maintained his innocence. According to the defense, the court dismissed key arguments and declined to authorize a handwriting examination, prompting the lawyer to seek independent expert analysis.

The signatures on some invoices, signed in the name of the fuel warehouse manager, were not made by the defendant, but by others who imitated his handwriting. Furthermore, some documents are dated to periods when the warehouse manager was on sick leave,
 the experts’ conclusion states.

The defense argues that this undermines the reliability of the prosecution’s materials and notes that other officials responsible for supervising fuel flows have not faced any consequences despite their direct oversight role.

The verdict will be appealed.

Original Author: Alexandra Kim