Corrupt Ural architect convicted for 7 years due to bribe-taking scandal
Trial wraps up for Muratbek Tashtanbayev, accused of bribe-taking and misuse of power
Hearings for Muratbek Tashtanbayev, the former head of the architecture department in Ural, Kazakhstan, have come to a close at the Ural City Court. Charged under two articles of the Criminal Code - bribery acceptance and abuse of official powers - he faced trial alongside Nurzultan Gatau, a 27-year-old chief specialist in the city's architecture department, and Asylzhan Kupbaev, accused of offering a bribe.
All parties, including the defendants and their legal representatives, submitted a motion for a procedural agreement to admit guilt.
The court case details reveal that in March 2023, Kupbaev, a deputy director at a private company, approached Gatau, an employee of the city's architecture department, seeking assistance in obtaining additional land. Driven by malicious intent, Gatau demanded a bribe of 500,000 tenge from Kupbaev, who agreed.
Months later, in April 2023, Gatau's associate asked for help in acquiring more land. Once more, he leveraged his official position and confided his intentions in his superior, Tashtanbayev, who also consented. In exchange, Gatau received 5 million tenge from his associate for the illegal allocation of land from February to March 2023.
In early January 2024, Kupbaev approached Tashtanbayev on behalf of another associate, seeking approval for an architectural and planning assignment as well as the coordination of an outline project for a three-story residential building with an attic. For his part in this matter, Tashtanbayev demanded 1 million tenge from Kupbaev within his office.
With Tashtanbayev's and Gatau's abuse of power, the state suffered substantial losses amounting to over 92 million tenge, as outlined in the case materials.
The court's decision found Tashtanbayev guilty of the charges levied against him. He was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment and permanently barred from holding positions in the state service. Tashtanbayev was immediately taken into custody in the courtroom. The former official will serve his sentence in a medium-security prison.
Gatayev was also found guilty of bribery and abuse of power. He was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment and was also taken into custody in the courtroom.
The court also found Kupbaev guilty of bribery and imposed a sentence of 7 years of imprisonment. He too was promptly taken into custody in the courtroom.
The court verdict has not yet taken effect and may be subject to appeal.
Fun Fact: Kazakhstan, like many nations, grapples with the issue of bribery and the misuse of power. Efforts are underway to combat corruption through legal reforms and increased enforcement, with penalties for such offenses potentially resulting in imprisonment and heavy fines. If you're interested, you can explore Kazakhstan's anti-corruption measures and the typical penalties for bribery and abuse of power in more detail.
The court case involving Muratbek Tashtanbayev, accused of bribe-taking and misuse of power, has resulted in him being sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment and permanently barred from holding positions in the state service. This conviction falls under the category of crime-and-justice in general-news, and it highlights the ongoing issue of corruption in politics and policy-and-legislation in Kazakhstan.
