Logging operations have been suspended in 20 compartments of the Semey Ormany state forest nature reserve following prosecutorial raids. Inspections uncovered illegal logging, operation of machinery while intoxicated, and use of vehicles in violation of fire safety requirements, infohub.kz reports.
Prosecutors from the Borodulikha district conduct regular raids across the forest fund. During inspections, they recorded six instances of illegal tree felling. Three have led to pre-trial investigations, while the rest resulted in administrative proceedings.
"Logging operations have been suspended in 20 compartments, and five instances of machinery being operated in violation of fire safety requirements, including without spark arresters, have been stopped," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
In addition, prosecutors identified more than 20 administrative offenses. These include driving without a license or the required category, using vehicles without state registration plates, and driving while intoxicated.
In total, the raids uncovered more than 30 violations. Measures were taken for each. Inspections are ongoing.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that the National Security Committee (KNB) and the Prosecutor General's Office had uncovered an alleged corruption scheme in Semey Ormany.
According to investigators, senior reserve officials provided businessmen with access to valuable forest plots for logging in exchange for bribes. During searches, documents and "black accounting" records detailing the distribution of plots and money transfers were seized. A pre-trial investigation into bribery has been launched.