Trumping his connections in the Administration and the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Daniyar promised to “get rid of” the KNB officer who was caught taking a bribe, but he cheated him out of $50 thousand.

Businessman’s nephew Bulata Utemuratova tightened the sentence handed down in February this year. Yesterday Daniyar Utemuratov was sentenced to five years for misleading a former KNB employee and receiving $50 thousand from him.

Daniyar Utemuratov was sued by a former employee of the National Security Committee in Atyrau, convicted in 2019 for fraud and bribery. The verdict states that in 2021, Utemuratov, during a meeting with him, stated that he knew high-ranking officials in the Presidential Administration and the Supreme Court and could help him get an acquittal, after which the ex-KNB officer would be able to be reinstated at work. He asked for $50 thousand for the “work.”

“Utemuratov, having received the funds, did not fulfill any obligations and, misleading under various pretexts, did not return the funds,” the verdict says.

In court, Utemuratov admitted that he lied about meeting high-ranking people because he needed money to build a health complex in Kyzylorda.

“So he said he could help. I thought I would get the money back. However, I fell into a crisis and could not return,” the verdict says.

During the trial, Daniyar Utemuratov did not deny his guilt, compensated the victim for damages, and on February 2 he was sentenced to five years probation.

The prosecutor did not agree with the verdict and filed an appeal. As a result, yesterday, March 5, the judicial panel for criminal cases of the Astana court overturned the previous verdict.

“To impose a sentence of five years in prison, to be served in institutions of the medium-security penal system,” the new verdict says.

Let us recall that in November 2023, the media wrote about the detention of Daniyar Utemuratov, noting that he was the nephew of Bulat Utemuratov. In May 2023, the latter was included in the ranking of “50 richest businessmen in Kazakhstan.” He was ranked on the list sixth place. Forbes Kazakhstan estimated Bulat Utemuratov’s wealth at $2.7 billion. […]