Cassation court overturns verdict against ex-deputy head of Shymkent KNB department Manat Sarbasov

A court has overturned the verdict against Manat Sarbasov, former first deputy head of the Department of the National Security Committee for Shymkent, and ordered a new trial in the criminal case. His lawyer, Zhasulan Asilbekov, announced the decision, according to infohub.kz.

The defense lawyer said the case was heard by the cassation court for criminal cases on October 28. As a result, the rulings of the lower courts were overturned due to significant violations of criminal procedure legislation. The criminal case will now be returned to Shymkent's specialized inter-district criminal court for a new trial before a different panel of judges.

The lawyer specified that the annulment of the verdict and the appellate ruling applies to all defendants in the criminal case. Manat Sarbasov himself remains in custody for now.

In May of last year, a high-profile trial of the former first deputy head of the KNB department began in Shymkent. He was accused of fraud, accepting bribes and coercing their payment.

He faced two high-profile episodes. In the first, a witness testified that since 2007 the former deputy head of the KNB department had demanded monthly payments from a private school for two years in exchange for protection, citing fictitious employees.

She also said Sarbasov sought to have his relatives and acquaintances employed at the institution. According to the witness, the total amount of illegal payments reached 435 million tenge.

The second episode concerned the procurement of medical equipment and protective gear during the 2020 pandemic. Damage to the state was estimated at more than 100 million tenge.

Ultimately, the former deputy head of the KNB department was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Manat Sarbasov also figured in a high-profile case against former Shymkent deputy akim Maksut Isakhov. The former official was accused of attempting to bribe the first deputy head of the KNB department. According to investigators, Maksut Isakhov offered Manat Sarbasov $200,000 to close the criminal case opened against him.

During the trial, the defendant alleged revenge and personal animosity on the part of the former first deputy head of the KNB department. Maksut Isakhov was ultimately sentenced to 8 years and 5 months in prison.