InfoHub Logo

A court hearing has begun for a tragic road accident on Al-Farabi Avenue in Almaty، which claimed the lives of three people. The case is being heard by Judge Yerkin Maishinov at the Specialized Inter-District Court for Criminal Cases of Almaty city. The accused، identified as 32-year-old entrepreneur A.P.، faces charges under Part 4 of Article 345 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan for violating traffic rules، resulting in the deaths of two or more individuals.

Court Proceedings and Victim Testimony

The court session was conducted in both online and offline formats، with the accused and victims participating remotely. During the hearing، the victims' families provided their testimonies. E.T.، the sister of the deceased driver of the Mercedes، shared that she learned of her brother's death from an investigator early in the morning. She recalled being called by an investigator around 7 a.m. and asked to identify her brother after being informed of his passing in the Al-Farabi Avenue crash. Her last contact with her brother was on the morning of March 20th، when she drove him to work. She described him as a dedicated individual who assisted her with her work and managed a computer club.

Family's Plea for Forgiveness

In a significant development، the relatives of the deceased Mercedes driver submitted a petition to the court seeking reconciliation with the accused. The petition stated that A.P. had fully admitted his guilt، expressed sincere remorse، and had already compensated for all material and moral damages. The family emphasized that their decision was made voluntarily، without any coercion. Furthermore، they requested that the accused receive a punishment not related to imprisonment، stating they have fully forgiven him and have no further claims.

Second Victim's Family Speaks Out

The family of the second victim، 20-year-old K.T.، also presented their case. Her mother، B.Zh.، testified that her daughter worked as a freelance taxi driver and was due to pay off a loan of 267،000 tenge on March 21st. On the evening of March 20th، K.T. left home after dinner، intending to earn the remaining amount needed for her loan payment before returning. Her mother last spoke to her daughter via video call around 11:30 p.m.، when K.T. assured her she was with passengers and would return home after dropping them off and getting something to eat. B.Zh. mentioned she had been undergoing medical treatment for two years، which explained why she didn't hear the investigators' calls in the morning. Her husband answered the phone around 9 a.m.، informing her of their daughter's death and asking them to come for identification. The family traveled from Shamalgan to Almaty، arriving around 11 a.m. and proceeding to the morgue، where B.Zh. struggled to accept her daughter's fate، initially hoping she was in a coma.

Her petition، also read in court، confirmed her reconciliation with the accused. B.Zh. explained that since she cannot bring her daughter back، the family chose to forgive A.P. The petition detailed that despite the severe consequences of the accident and her daughter's death، she and her relatives had reached a full reconciliation with the accused. It was noted that A.P. had fully confessed، shown genuine remorse، apologized، and settled all material and moral damages. The family explicitly stated they have no current or future claims against him، and their decision to reconcile was voluntary. They also requested that the court consider a non-custodial sentence، potentially including a suspended sentence.

B.Zh. also informed the court that she was withdrawing her legal representation through advocate Meirman Kalmakhanuly. The stance of the relatives of the third deceased، T.K.، has not yet been heard in court. Their testimony has been postponed to the next court session scheduled for June 4th at 10:00 a.m. Following this، the judge declared a recess.

Chronology of the Tragedy

The accident occurred on the night of March 21st on Al-Farabi Avenue due to gross violations of traffic rules. According to the investigation، the driver of a Zeekr vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic، colliding with a Mercedes. The Mercedes driver، aged 29، and two female passengers، aged 20 and 22، died at the scene. The driver of the Zeekr sustained injuries، was hospitalized under guard، and later transferred to a pre-trial detention center once stable. Investigations revealed he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. This incident caused significant public outcry. A criminal case was initiated under Part 4 of Article 345 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan، which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Following the tragedy، the Deputy Head of the City Police Department and several other officials were dismissed. Additionally، a criminal case was launched concerning the inaction of a driver related to one of the police department heads. The investigation was placed under the personal control of the Head of State. Measures to ensure traffic safety in Almaty have been intensified، including increased raids، covert patrols، and the establishment of filtration checkpoints to monitor traffic violations.

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