West Oil Software Leaders Convicted in Mangystau for Embezzlement

In the Mangystau region, the leaders of the oilfield services company West Oil Software — known for repeated worker strikes — have been convicted, Orda.kz reports.

Investigators found that the company’s top managers embezzled more than 200 million tenge from Oil Transport Corporation.

The court ruled director Tlegen Kardzhaubaev, deputy director Azamat Nagmetov, and financial director Abay Kazybekov guilty under Articles 189 and 190 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code (“Fraud and embezzlement of property on an especially large scale”).

According to court documents, the defendants systematically abused their positions for personal gain, transferring funds through falsified accounting or covering up theft with fictitious transactions.

Expert examinations and comparative analysis of documents confirmed the reliability of the evidence and the certainty of their involvement in the crime,
the court decision states.

Kardzhaubaev and Kazybekov were each sentenced to four years in prison, while Nagmetov received three years.

All three will serve their terms in a medium-security colony and are barred from holding leadership positions for five years.

Taking into account the recently adopted law on constitutional amnesty, the terms of punishment were reduced by a fifth. Also, the convicted persons must pay 69 thousand tenge to the victim compensation fund, and almost 600 thousand tenge to the state to cover legal costs,
the ruling adds.

West Oil Software has drawn notoriety for strikes by its workers, who have long demanded better conditions, equal wages with other companies, updated equipment, and a merger with Oil Transport Corporation.

Earlier reports indicated the company’s losses had surpassed 900 million tenge.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva