The court case over the death of a 23-year-old paramedic, Uldana Myrzuan, has caused a stir among condominium managers in the capital. Yerlan Karbayev, head of the Association of Condominium Owners and Housing Cooperatives, representing more than 400 property owner associations nationwide, came to court to support the defendant, Saule Zhubaniyazova, and made a strong statement to the media... reports infohub.kz.
Karbayev stressed that the condominium chair had worked at the building for only three months and could not have physically prevented the facade collapse. In his view, construction companies should bear criminal responsibility for such tragedies.
"We should not be held accountable for the builders' mistakes, for the improper construction of our housing stock—whether it's 5 or 10 years later. In Turkey, after the earthquake, builders were held liable for substandard houses. A facade should not fall at the first gust of wind. It's no wonder Astana is called the 'city of flying facades.' Currently, chairs are considering just abandoning their buildings and leaving," the Association stated.
Managers reminded that most condominium heads are not engineers or builders. Conducting a professional technical inspection of a building by residents is nearly impossible. Such an inspection costs from 2.5 million tenge, and apartment owners categorically refuse to pay targeted fees for these services.
Although current legislation requires local authorities (akimats) to conduct state technical inspections of housing stock at the expense of the local budget, in practice these norms do not work due to budget shortfalls.
Recall that in Astana, the trial of Saule Zhubaniyazova, chair of the condominium association, continues. She is accused of negligent performance of duties following the tragedy on November 8, 2025, when 23-year-old ambulance paramedic Uldana Myrzuan was called to a residence and was struck by falling brick cladding and an air conditioner bracket.
During a break in the hearing, Zhubaniyazova spoke to journalists and outlined her position on the criminal case. She stated that she considers herself wrongly accused, and that the tragedy was caused by hidden building defects and years of wear and tear.
It is noted that while the court proceedings continue inside, dozens of condominium association chairs from Astana gathered outside to support their colleague and highlight a systemic problem in legislation.