Major car fraud scheme uncovered in Kazakhstan involving vehicles from Russia

Tengrinews.kz - Details of a large-scale fraud involving vehicles illegally imported from Russia have been revealed in the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan.

The Judicial Panel on Criminal Cases reviewed the case against three Kazakh nationals - E. Bariev, M. Kyzbikenov, and M. Bibitov - who were accused of large-scale fraud and document forgery.

According to the Supreme Court, Bariev found questionable vehicles through online resources in Russia, including those that were under lien, reported stolen, or lacked proper documentation. Kyzbikenov provided Bariev with copies of the identity documents of his acquaintances. Bariev then passed this information to others who created forged ownership documents for the vehicles.

Afterward, Bariev and Kyzbikenov, through their contacts, illegally imported the improperly documented cars into Kazakhstan, where they were sold. This scheme resulted in financial theft and caused harm to the victims.

Using a similar method, the convicted individuals, along with Bibitov, also defrauded another victim.

The court noted that the facts of the crime were corroborated by the testimonies of victims and witnesses, sales contracts for the vehicles, forensic handwriting analysis, and other evidence.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia confirmed that the cars sold by the convicted individuals had been reported stolen since 2021.

Ultimately, Bariev was sentenced to 8 years in prison, Kyzbikenov to 7 years, and Bibitov to 6 years and 6 months. Following an appeal, Bibitov's sentence was reduced to three and a half years of conditional imprisonment.