A court of appeals in Astana on August 21 rejected an appeal by former Kazakh Culture and Sports Minister Arystanbek Mukhamediuly against his imprisonment after being convicted of corruption. Mukhamediuly was initially sentenced last year to eight years in prison on embezzlement charges. In February, he was handed an additional three years on bribery charges, while his wife was handed six months in prison for mediating an attempted bribe, and his lawyer was sentenced to six years and eight months for his alleged role in mediating the bribe. Mukhamediuly’s arrest in 2022 came amid President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's campaign to remove his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev and his associates, from the political scene. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Court Rejects Appeal Of Former Minister Against Prison Sentence
Fiormer Kazakh Culture and Sports Minister Arystanbek Mukhamediuly attends a court hearing in June 2023.