A regional deputy governor convicted of taking a bribe never went to prison, while her co-conspirators already served their time

A Kazakh court convicted Bakytgul Khamenova, then deputy akim (deputy governor) of the Atyrau Region, of accepting a 4.5 million tenge bribe from businessman Umirtai Adamov in exchange for help with building a monument to Abay, with Akylbek Ryskaliyev, head of the regional culture department, as intermediary. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, and the conviction took legal effect in 2022, but under Part 1 of Article 74 of the Criminal Code a court granted her a three-year deferment because she has a minor child.