Gulnara Bazhkenova, former editor-in-chief of the online publication Orda.kz, has been sentenced to eight years in prison with a two-year reprieve. The decision was handed down by the Bostandyk District Court No. 2 in Almaty, as reported by infohub.kz.
The court found Bazhkenova guilty of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship, and spreading deliberately false information.
According to the court, from November 2024 to December 2025, while serving as head of a limited liability partnership, she embezzled over 88.1 million tenge from the company's accounts. The funds were transferred to an individual entrepreneur under her control, disguised as payment for advertising, professional, and scientific services. Additionally, the company paid for her son's tuition at a private international school.
Bazhkenova also earned 121.2 million tenge from the sale of apartments in Almaty. However, she was not registered as an entrepreneur and did not pay taxes on the income.
The case also includes eight episodes of spreading deliberately false information in 2024-2025. According to the court's press release, while serving as editor-in-chief of the information-analytical portal, Bazhkenova acted in a group of persons by prior conspiracy. The information was disseminated via internet resources and social media, and, in the court's assessment, caused significant harm to citizens, organizations, and the state.
"The court found B. guilty and sentenced her to 8 years in prison, with a 5-year ban on engaging in media, journalism, blogging, public events, and other public activities, as well as holding leadership and financially responsible positions in media-related organizations," the court statement said.
In addition to the main punishment, Bazhkenova was ordered to pay 95.9 million tenge in material damages, 2.8 million tenge in state fees, and 6.8 million tenge in legal costs and procedural expenses for the victim.
Bazhkenova will not serve the sentence immediately. The court applied Part 1 of Article 74 of the Criminal Code and postponed the execution of the sentence for two years due to her having a child under 14 years of age.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that in December 2025, an investigative court authorized two months of house arrest for ORDA's editor-in-chief Gulnara Bazhkenova. On the same day, searches were conducted at the publication's office and the journalist's apartment. Almaty police reported opening several criminal cases on charges of spreading deliberately false information.