In Zhetysu region, a court has settled a dispute over a 768 million tenge gas pipeline project — the contractor 'forgot' to use the amount of construction materials specified in the project, nearly getting away with quietly compromising safety, reports infohub.kz.
The case began when the Zhetysu Regional Department of Energy and Housing and Utilities ordered a limited liability partnership to build a gas pipeline and distribution networks in the village of Karatal, Eskeldi District.
According to the court's press service, a construction and technical inspection initiated by the customer found discrepancies between the work actually performed and the project documentation. The main violation concerned structural integrity: when installing foundations for the gas pipeline supports, the contractor poured significantly less concrete than required by standards.
To verify the violations firsthand, judges of the Specialized Interdistrict Economic Court held an on-site hearing at the facility, conducting an additional inspection of the supports.
The contractor failed to prove that the work had been completed in full. The court of first instance partially granted the claim: the partnership was ordered to pay 45.9 million tenge to the national budget and 1.4 million tenge in state fees. However, the court did not declare the contractor an unfair participant in public procurement, as the violations came to light only after the formal execution of the contract.
The company attempted to appeal the verdict, but the Judicial Panel for Civil Cases of the Zhambyl Regional Court upheld the decision. The court rulings have entered into legal force.