Photo: kaztag.kz
The Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana has sentenced the leadership of the state-owned enterprise Kazspetseksport, accused of embezzling funds during military procurement. The company’s general director, Arman Ramazanov, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, according to Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM).
In addition, Azat Kudabayev, director of the company’s import department, received a 10-year prison term. The other nine defendants were given various sentences, the AFM added.
The court granted the state’s claim for 1.6 billion tenge (about $3 million) and ordered the confiscation of property worth 607 million tenge ($1.1 million) from the defendants.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
The agency recalled that in 2023, law enforcement detained Kazspetseksport employees and the company’s suppliers on suspicion of corruption and embezzlement of budget funds allocated for military procurement. The damage from their illegal actions was estimated at more than 1.6 billion tenge (about $3 million).
Among those detained was the company’s director, Arman Ramazanov. Investigators alleged that Ramazanov and affiliated individuals inflated the prices of equipment imported from neighboring countries under defense contracts.
In February of last year, Ramazanov’s temporary replacement, Arshat Ayaganov, was also charged with corruption, specifically abuse of office in connection with an armored vehicle supply deal. According to KazTAG, in January of this year, Ayaganov was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
