David Loria, general director of the football club Jeñis, has for the first time commented on reports that his father was placed on an interstate wanted list by the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) in a tax evasion case, infohub.kz reports.
The AFM had earlier disclosed that Grigory Loria, former president of the football club Qyzyl-Jar SQ, had been placed on an interstate wanted list. He is suspected of embezzling budget funds and evading taxes totaling more than 414 million tenge.
"I would like to remind you that, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the principle of the presumption of innocence applies, under which no one can be considered guilty until their guilt has been proven in the manner established by law," David Loria said.
He also said he has no connection to the clubs' activities or to the circumstances that have become the subject of media reports. Loria said he intends to continue working in the development of football and sports infrastructure.
"I have always been guided, and continue to be guided, by sincere patriotism, responsibility to society and a desire to work for the benefit of people," he stressed.
David Loria is a candidate for deputy of the Astana maslikhat.
According to the AFM, 1.7 billion tenge was allocated from the local budget in 2023 to finance the activities of the football club Qyzyl-Jar SQ.
"According to the investigation, the suspect, acting in collusion with the chief accountant and other persons, used fictitious financial documents, organized unjustified transfers of funds to personal accounts, and also ensured that deliberately false information was entered into accounting and tax reporting," the agency said.
According to the AFM, the tax declarations understated employees' income, the payroll fund and the organization's total annual income.