Ethics Council in Pavlodar Region Reviews Case of Illegal Land Allocation

An ethics council in the Pavlodar Region has reviewed a disciplinary case involving a former deputy akim of the Uspensky district, the head of the land relations department, and the akim of the Lozovsky rural district — the case stemmed from the illegal awarding of points in a competition for the provision of land plots, reports infohub.kz.

According to irbistv.kz, the official at the center of the proceedings was Talgat Beshchenbayev, who previously served as deputy akim of the Uspensky district and now holds the same position in the Pavlodar district. He appeared before the ethics council alongside the head of the land relations department and the akim of the Lozovsky rural district.

The proceedings were prompted by a lawsuit filed by the head of a farming enterprise, who went to court and proved that his competitors in the land allocation lot had been illegally awarded 10 points each, causing him to lose the competition. The land commission's decision was overturned, and prosecutors initiated a disciplinary case.

"Eight participants took part in this competition for the lot: three of them were legal entities and five were individuals. All the individuals were awarded 10 points equally because they are residents of the district, although the court decision specifies a rural district. The rules and the Land Code — not only in our region but throughout the entire republic — provide for awarding 10 points to district residents in all competitions," explained Talgat Beshchenbayev, deputy akim of the Pavlodar district.

At the ethics council meeting, a specialist testified that priority in land allocation is given to those who have lived in close proximity to the plot for 5 years. That is why the court's decision was found to be justified, and officials had no right to award additional points to participants who were residents of the entire Uspensky district.

All the officials admitted their guilt during the disciplinary investigation. They have been recommended for punishment in the form of incomplete official compliance.