The Criminal Cassation Court ordered ten convicted individuals to pay more than KZT 7.3 billion to the state revenue in a case of economic smuggling of tobacco products. The decision followed a protest from the prosecution, which pointed to the failure to recover the value of the illegally moved goods.
HOW THE SCHEME WORKED
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, ten individuals repeatedly moved tobacco products across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) between January and August 2024, concealing the goods from customs control.
According to the circumstances established by the court, the participants acted as a group of persons by prior conspiracy. The total value of the moved products amounted to KZT 7.3 billion.
WHY PROSECUTORIAL INTERVENTION WAS REQUIRED
After considering the criminal case, the court found the participants guilty of economic smuggling. However, the issue of recovering the value of the goods was resolved improperly: the damage caused to the state remained unrecovered.
The prosecution lodged a protest, pointing to the incorrect resolution of the issue of recovering the value of the smuggled products. The Criminal Cassation Court upheld the protest and reviewed the decision in that part.
HOW MUCH MONEY WAS RECOVERED INTO THE BUDGET
Following the cassation review, the convicted individuals were ordered to pay more than KZT 7.3 billion to the state revenue. The recovery was imposed on a joint and several basis, meaning the obligation to pay the total sum was placed on the convicted individuals jointly.
WHAT FBRK PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED ABOUT TOBACCO SMUGGLING
FBRK previously published a series of investigations into Kazakhstan's illegal tobacco market. In two instalments, the editorial team described the scale of the grey market, which is estimated to cover up to 20% of cigarette sales, as well as the supply routes for smuggled products, including the Kyrgyz direction.
A separate instalment was devoted to the case of Sergey Buri, a suspect in the investigation into an alleged transnational tobacco smuggling scheme who was extradited from Russia. Details are available on FBRK's YouTube channel:
