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In a landmark corruption case that has sent ripples through the region، two former court chairmen in Petropavl، Kazakhstan، have been handed down prison sentences. The convictions mark a significant moment in the fight against judicial corruption in the country.

The Accused and the Charges

The trial involved 46-year-old Bekbol Baimakhanov، who served as the chairman of the Specialized Inter-district Economic Court of the North Kazakhstan Region from 2022 to 2024، and 41-year-old Yerlan Ibrayev، who chaired Court No. 2 of Petropavl from 2021 until January 2025. Both were accused of multiple serious corruption offenses.

They were tried alongside lawyer Artem Ivanov from Almaty and businessmen Gevorg Pogosyan and Hamlet Melkonyan، who are involved in road construction and trade in North Kazakhstan.

Key Episodes of Bribery

The prosecution detailed several instances of bribery. In one episode، Baimakhanov was accused of offering a bribe of $20،000، later increased to $50،000، to lawyer Ivanov to rule in favor of a collection agency. It was revealed that Judge Omarov، though not directly involved in the corrupt acts، was aware of Baimakhanov and Ivanov's illicit dealings and reported them to the National Security Committee (KNB). Ivanov later passed a portion of the bribe ($15،000) to Baimakhanov through Omarov.

Another case involved businessman Gevorg Pogosyan، whose road construction company faced scrutiny over asphalt quality. To resolve the issue and avoid being declared ineligible for public tenders، Pogosyan sought help from his acquaintance، Ibrayev. Ibrayev then contacted Baimakhanov، proposing a bribe of 2.5 million tenge for a favorable decision.

In a third instance، businessman Hamlet Melkonyan offered bribes to the court chairmen to settle his debts. Initially offering $10،000، the amount was later reduced to 2 million tenge. Baimakhanov had taken special control of this case، despite lacking the authority to interfere with another judge's work.

The Verdict

On March 4، Judge Assem Dzhanalina of the Petropavl City Court delivered the verdict. Bekbol Baimakhanov was sentenced to 8 years in prison and permanently banned from holding public office. Assets totaling 1،284،000 tenge were confiscated in favor of the state.

Yerlan Ibrayev received a 6-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from public service، with 2،250،000 tenge confiscated. Lawyer Ivanov was sentenced to 6 years، Melkonyan to 4 years، and Pogosyan to 3 years and 6 months. All defendants will serve their sentences in a medium-security institution.

This information was reported by the Infohub.kz news agency.