Russia Hands Over Key Suspect in Samruk-Energy $15.7 Million Embezzlement to Kazakhstan

The Kazakh Prosecutor General’s Office has confirmed that a former construction company executive, accused of involvement in a criminal scheme that allegedly siphoned off over 8.5 billion tenge (approximately $15.7 million) from a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s Samruk-Energy company, was extradited from Russia to Kazakhstan.

The prosecutors noted that between 2020 and 2022, the suspect, while leading the company, conspired with others to forge contracts and funnel funds through affiliated entities, The Caspian Post reports via Russian media.

The misappropriated money was intended for the construction of a wind power plant in the Akmola Region.

Following the exposure of the scheme, the suspect fled Kazakhstan and was placed on the international wanted list. In February 2025, he was detained in Russia and subsequently extradited to Kazakhstan at the request of Kazakh authorities.

The individual is currently held in a pretrial detention center. Meanwhile, other accomplices involved in the fraud were sentenced to various prison terms in May 2025. Under Kazakhstan’s law, such offenses carry penalties ranging from five to ten years in prison, accompanied by asset confiscation.