Atyrau Region Deputy Akim Bakytgul Khamenova was detained by the anti-corruption agency on suspicion of accepting a bribe, the My City information portal of Uralsk, Aktobe and Atyrau reported on December 10.
Together with the deputy akim, Head of the Atyrau Region Department of Culture Akylbek Ryskaliev was detained. According to the anti-corruption agency, Khamenova is kept currently in a temporary detention centre.
According to the Agency for the Fight against Economic and Corruptive Crime, the operational search activities revealed that Deputy Akim Khameneva and Head of the Atyrau Region Department of Culture Ryskaliev had accepted a bribe of 4.5 million tenge from a citizen A. through Director at the folk art, culture and recreation centre in Atyrau Region Zh. Amaniyazov.
The officials accepted the bribe to award a contract for the design and installation of a sculpture to the Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayev in Atyrau.
Khamenova took office as Deputy Akim in March 2020. Prior to that, she was a member of the Parliament of the 6th convocation from the Nur Otan party.
