Kazakhstan's National Security Committee is investigating a criminal case against Nurlan Zhumasultanov, the de facto owner of Bek Air. He is suspected of large-scale theft of aircraft engines, with one of the stolen units later installed on an airliner operated by the carrier, according to infohub.kz.
Journalist Mikhail Kozachkov reported the details on his Telegram channel. According to his information, Zhumasultanov was detained, and on September 9 an Almaty investigative court authorized his arrest for two months.
"One of the stolen engines was on the crashed Fokker-100 — it was identified by its serial number. It turns out someone removed a heavy unit from a mothballed aircraft and then reinstalled it on an airliner belonging to Bek Air. But who could have done this? Transport Police Department officers spent years searching for the answer, including abroad, where they sent international requests," Kozachkov wrote.
According to the journalist, the Main Transport Prosecutor's Office transferred the case to the National Security Committee this year.
"And the NSC finally managed to solve the complex puzzle. They concluded that since one of the stolen engines was on a Bek Air plane, the airline's owners or executives could be involved," Kozachkov said.
After that, Nurlan Zhumasultanov was summoned for questioning, named a suspect, and detained. Another person involved in the case, according to Kozachkov, was placed under house arrest.
Zhumasultanov is charged under Part 4 of Article 188 of the Criminal Code — large-scale theft. The article provides for five to 10 years in prison with property confiscation.
The Main Transport Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Kursiv that the case is being investigated by the NSC's central office, with oversight by the MTPO.
"The case is being investigated by the NSC's central office, with oversight by the MTPO," the agency said.
The prosecutor's office did not disclose other information in accordance with Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code.