Kazakhstan security service confirms probe into Okhotzooprom branch head

September 21, 2026 at 04:26 PM2 min

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Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) has confirmed a pre-trial investigation into Arman Kuzhakhmetov, head of the western regional branch of Okhotzooprom, after his detention on September 11. He was reportedly detained while receiving 5 million tenge allegedly demanded from an entrepreneur for a saiga hunting permit. A court in Uralsk sanctioned his arrest for two months.

Key Facts

KNB confirmed a pre-trial investigation into Arman Kuzhakhmetov, head of the western regional branch of Okhotzooprom, after his detention on September 11.
Kuzhakhmetov was detained while receiving 5 million tenge allegedly demanded from an entrepreneur for a saiga hunting permit.
A court in Uralsk sanctioned his arrest for two months on September 12.
The investigation is being conducted under the article on fraud using official position, which carries a penalty of three to seven years in prison with confiscation of property.
Kuzhakhmetov had headed the western regional branch of Okhotzooprom since March 2020.

Detention and Arrest

Employees of the KNB department for West Kazakhstan Region detained Kuzhakhmetov on September 11 while he was receiving 5 million tenge. According to investigators, the official demanded the money from an entrepreneur in exchange for issuing a permit to catch saigas in the region. The next day, a court in Uralsk sanctioned the suspect's arrest for two months. The investigation is being conducted under the article on fraud using official position.

Official Response

The KNB confirmed that a pre-trial investigation is underway in response to an editorial inquiry. The committee declined to disclose details of the case, citing the secrecy of the investigation. The KNB press service stated that other information is not subject to disclosure in accordance with part 1 of article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Tengrinews reported that the KNB did not officially confirm the fact of the 48-year-old Kuzhakhmetov's detention.

Background and Penalty

Kuzhakhmetov had headed the western regional branch of Okhotzooprom since March 2020. The fraud article provides for punishment ranging from a fine to imprisonment for a term of three to seven years with confiscation of property. The court may also impose a lifetime ban on holding certain positions. Okhotzooprom is a specialized subordinate organization under the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, responsible for protecting and accounting for rare ungulate species, including the saiga population.