In an Astana court hearing on the death of paramedic Uldana Myrzuan, who was killed when the facade of a building at 24B Tauelsizdik Avenue collapsed, a key specialist was interrogated. Yerbol Akhmetov, head of the technical department of the Housing and Housing Inspection Department, appeared before the court as an expert, but his testimony was ambiguous, reports infohub.kz.
Answering the prosecutor's questions, the official stated that the housing inspection is not responsible for constant visual monitoring of buildings, and any inspections are carried out only upon written requests from residents or chairmen of condominium associations (OSI).
"Before the tragedy, no complaints from residents or the OSI of building 24B about the emergency condition of the facade had been received by the Housing Department. We are not obliged to conduct daily inspections," he said during the interrogation.
The official also added that a control technical inspection of the building was carried out back in 2017, when the building's wear was estimated at 31% (functional condition), but the data then were of an exclusively "recommendatory nature" for the residents themselves.
It is worth noting that the specialist admitted that one of the key documents — a copy of the 2017 technical report — had simply disappeared from the department's archives.
"From 2017 to 2020, we underwent a large-scale transformation; the department was transferred to the Quality Control Department, and then the Housing Department was re-established. In this regard, some documents were lost and not transferred," he explained.
The situation worsened when lawyers found out the profile and work experience of the interrogated expert. Akhmedov admitted that he has a degree in "land management" and took up the post of head of the technical department only two months ago. He could not answer most of the clarifying questions from the judge and prosecutors about who controlled the elimination of facade defects and why residents were offered to repair only elevators.
In this regard, the lawyers of the injured party filed a motion to summon a more competent inspector who had worked in the department for at least several years.
It should be noted that this is the same building where a resonant tragic incident previously occurred — ambulance paramedic Uldana Myrzuan died while performing her duties.
It is worth noting that the trial over the death of 23-year-old Uldana Myrzuan, an ambulance paramedic, has taken an unexpected turn. While the proceedings are underway inside the courthouse, dozens of chairmen of condominium associations (OSI) of Astana gathered outside to support their colleague on trial and to highlight a systemic problem in legislation.