Former Kazakh deputy industry minister detained on suspicion of illegally granting exploration licenses

ALMATY. Nov 9 (Interfax) - Former Kazakh Deputy Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Timur Toktabayev has been detained on suspicion of abuse of office for illegally granting mineral exploration licenses, the country's Anti-Corruption Service said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Following a joint review of legality with the Prosecutor General's Office into the granting of mineral exploration licenses, the Anti-Corruption Service has launched a pre-trial investigation against the officials in the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development," the agency said.

"The officials in the ministry granted exploration licenses to their business associates by bypassing auctions. The deposits of solid minerals illegally granted had already proven reserves," the agency said.

"The companies in cahoots with the ministry's officials were granted exploration rights for deposits that were ready for production for the minimum cost of a subscription bonus in breach of the principles of market competition," the agency said.

"Without auctions and the proper sale of deposits, dozens of billions of tenge in revenue were not paid to the government budget," the agency said.

"On November 7, former Deputy Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Toktabayev was detained on suspicion of corruption, and his property and luxury cars were confiscated," according to the press release.

Toktabayev served as deputy minister of the industry from 2016 to 2019.