On the Astana-Pavlodar highway in late May, a road accident left 20-year-old Talgat Emel severely injured. He was traveling by taxi from the capital to his parents' home when the vehicle crashed into a barrier. Three people were injured in the crash, with Talgat suffering the most: he experienced clinical death and lost both legs. The driver was the 22-year-old son of the akim (mayor) of the city of Arys. Relatives of the victim fear that the father's connections could help the driver avoid punishment, according to infohub.kz.
Gulsym Abayildinova, sister of the victim, said: "I am afraid that the driver's relatives might influence the investigation. That is a concern because the driver's father is the akim of Arys. I want justice, I want stricter laws. It has been established that he had 29 traffic violations in the past year."
The driver's father, Arys akim Qaisar Mankaraev, stated that his son is an adult and must bear responsibility on his own. He emphasized: "I have never used, nor do I intend to use, my official position for personal interests. I responsibly declare that I have not and will not make any attempts to influence the course of the investigation or any procedural decisions in the case. The law is the same for everyone. This principle applies equally to my family members."
The taxi driver is under house arrest. A pre-trial investigation is being conducted under the article "Violation of traffic rules or operation of vehicles resulting in negligently causing serious harm to human health," which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.
Earlier, the perpetrator of another accident that killed four people was sentenced in Mangistau.