Kazakh Prosecutor Details Fraud and Illegal Logging Charges Against Sanzhar Bokayev

Deputy Prosecutor General Yerlan Utegenov has detailed the criminal charges brought against Sanzhar Bokayev. The accusations involve large-scale fraud and the organization of illegal tree felling.

Utegenov stated that Bokayev is suspected of embezzling funds on an especially large scale through fraudulent means. "The fraud relates to the period of his work at a national company," the prosecutor clarified during a briefing. Investigative actions are currently underway in the case.

According to publicly available information, Sanzhar Bokayev served as an advisor to the chairman of the board at JSC "KazTransGas" from 2015 to 2018.

The General Prosecutor's Office announced Bokayev's detention in Almaty on March 18. He is being prosecuted under two articles of the Criminal Code:

Part 4, Article 190: "Fraud on an especially large scale."

Part 3, Article 340: "Illegal felling, destruction, or damage of trees and shrubs by a group of persons by prior conspiracy."

The investigation alleges that Bokayev organized the cutting down of trees to film and disseminate the footage on social media with the aim of shaping negative public opinion. According to authorities, he recruited low-income individuals for these acts in exchange for payment. On March 31, a court ordered Bokayev to be held in pre-trial detention for two months.