The founder of private colleges Elmira Duisenkyzy has been found guilty of embezzling budget funds and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The damage to the state exceeded 1.3 billion tenge. This is the businesswoman's third conviction.
WHAT IS KNOWN
According to the Telegram channel «HALYQSTAN», the court considered a criminal case of embezzlement of budget funds committed between 2018 and 2023.
The investigation established that Elmira Duisenkyzy, as the founder of the South Kazakhstan Higher Medical College and the South Kazakhstan Humanitarian and Financial College, organised a scheme whereby citizens were formally enrolled in educational institutions without actually studying. According to the investigation, this allowed funding to be obtained under the state educational order and retraining programmes.
HOW THE SCHEME WORKED
The scheme involved college directors, accountants and other affiliated individuals.
Furthermore, fake orders for enrolment and employment, electronic digital signatures and fictitious certificates of work completed were used. It is noted that some students from the fee-paying department of the medical college were registered as studying at state expense.
The investigation also claimed that the South Kazakhstan Humanitarian and Financial College did not actually carry out educational activities and was used to obtain budget funding.
WHAT DAMAGE WAS ESTABLISHED
The total damage to the state amounted to more than 1.3 billion tenge.
During the investigation, the suspects voluntarily compensated 65 million tenge. In addition, by court order, property was seized, including three flats (including in Dubai), three residential houses and three cars.
During the last three years of the period under investigation, Elmira Duisenkyzy was in prison for a previous criminal case, but, according to the prosecution, she continued to manage the activities of the educational institutions she owned.
CONTEXT
Previously, Elmira Duisenkyzy was a victim and key witness in criminal cases against the former first deputy head of the department of the National Security Committee (KNB) Manat Sarbasov and the former head of the education department of the Turkestan region Galymzhan Dzhumashev.
They were both found guilty by the court in their respective criminal cases.
