Blogger Sentenced to Three Years for Extorting Officials in Western Kazakhstan

The Uralsk City Court has sentenced 43-year-old blogger Aibolat Bukenov to three years in a medium-security penal colony. The verdict concludes a criminal case where Bukenov was found guilty of extorting money from local officials under the threat of publishing compromising information.

On February 25, the court convicted Bukenov on three counts under the Criminal Code: fraud committed repeatedly, extortion, and money laundering. The judge announced that by merging the sentences into the most severe punishment, the court imposed a three-year prison term. The court also ordered the confiscation of 1,244,000 tenge identified as criminally obtained funds and changed his pre-trial restriction from house arrest to immediate custody in the courtroom.

During the trial, Bukenov pleaded guilty. His defense lawyer requested a punishment not involving imprisonment, while the prosecutor sought a sentence of three years and six months.

The case involved nine victims, including several district akims (governors), their deputies, and heads of administrative offices in West Kazakhstan Region. According to the investigation, Bukenov leveraged his social media influence for personal gain.

In one episode, he allegedly demanded one million tenge from an official in Zhangalinsky District to delete Facebook posts accusing him of using state-owned special equipment for personal purposes. After receiving part of the sum, the official contacted the National Security Committee (KNB), leading to Bukenov's arrest during an attempt to collect another payment.

A second scheme involved fraudulent fundraising. Under the pretext of publishing a book for an acquaintance, Bukenov solicited funds from officials, deputies, and local residents. Contributions ranged from 40,000 to 200,000 tenge, which he allegedly misappropriated instead of using for publication.

The investigation further established that Bukenov spent these illicitly obtained funds on betting activities. The subsequent winnings totaling over 1.2 million tenge were classified as money laundering.

Aibolat Bukenov is known as a blogger and owner of several social media pages where he frequently criticized authorities in West Kazakhstan Region. His personal Instagram account has over 17 thousand followers.

This is not his first encounter with law enforcement; in 2019 he faced charges for disobeying police after filming a traffic accident involving a patrol car.