540 Million Tenge Bribe: Is the Head of a KTZ Subsidiary Truly Under Arrest?

Kaztemirtrans JSC has issued an official clarification regarding reports that Akylbek Bazenov, Director of the Almaty branch, was detained for allegedly accepting a massive bribe.

The company confirmed that competent law enforcement agencies are currently conducting an investigation.

"The company is providing full cooperation to the authorized bodies and is submitting all necessary information and documents as part of the investigation," the Kaztemirtrans press service stated.

The company expressed skepticism regarding the reports that the bribe - allegedly for influencing state procurement for security services - amounted to such a large sum.

According to Kaztemirtrans, the procedures for awarding security service contracts have already been completed.

• The total budget for general security services is approximately 200 million tenge.

• The specific budget for guarding the production bases of the Almaty branch this year is just over 9 million tenge.

"These amounts are significantly lower than the bribe figure being reported in the media. Further details will be clarified during the investigation," company representatives stated, adding that they are interested in an objective and comprehensive study of the case.

Earlier, media reports claimed that Akylbek Bazenov was caught red-handed while receiving a 540 million tenge bribe from a private security firm in exchange for granting them access to provide services at Kaztemirtrans facilities.