Following the chief ecologist of the VKO, his deputy has also been sent to prison.

On January 10, the court number 2 in Ust-Kamenogorsk announced the verdict regarding Rauan Turarov, the deputy head of the East Kazakhstan Region's Department of Ecology. His superior was imprisoned in December of last year, while the newly appointed head of the department is currently under investigation, according to Orda.kz.

https://orda.kz/vsled-za-glavnym-jekologom-vko-za-reshetku-otpravilsja-ego-zamestitel-396757/2025-01-12 07:31:15

Residents of the village of Maraldy, where the LLP was constructing a gold processing plant, have repeatedly complained to the Department of Ecology of the East Kazakhstan Region.

In May 2023, the agency sent a commission to the site, led by Deputy Head Rauan Turarov, to investigate potential violations of environmental legislation.

The inspection revealed serious violations concerning deviations from the project timelines for the completion of the plant, which could have resulted in a ban on the company's activities.

Turarov promised to sign a positive report based on the inspection results, which would help the company avoid administrative penalties and a suspension of operations. In return, Turarov received a bribe of 30 thousand dollars from the company's director. However, the deputy chief ecologist of the region was unable to fulfill the promise, prompting the company head to file a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Agency.

Turarov was detained in November 2023, and a criminal case was initiated. The investigation concluded in 2024, and the case was submitted to court.

“The guilt of the defendant is confirmed by tangible evidence: cash amounting to 6 million 970 thousand tenge, testimonies from witnesses who corroborated the agreement for a favorable decision in exchange for a reward, results from covert investigative actions, and expert conclusions,” the verdict states.

In court, Turarov did not admit guilt and requested acquittal. He is a father of five young children, which the court considered a mitigating factor in the sentencing.

However, given the severity of the crime committed, the judge sentenced Rauan Turarov to seven years of imprisonment, with a lifetime ban on holding public office.

Conditional early release does not apply to those convicted of serious corruption crimes, the court emphasized. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
Rauan Turarov is not the first high-ranking official from the East Kazakhstan Department of Ecology to be caught in corruption.

In July 2024, the Anti-Corruption Agency began an investigation into the chief ecologist of the East Kazakhstan region, Mamay Butabaev. The official was arrested on July 15 while receiving a bribe of 10 million tenge from the agreed 180 million tenge.

His predecessor, Daniyar Aliyev, came under investigation in December 2023. He was sentenced to four years in prison on December 28, 2024.

Aliyev's deputy, Turarov, was detained in November 2023 for a different corruption case.