According to media reports, Amir Kasenov was detained in Astana.
The General Director of the agency, Aset Mataev, reported on his Telegram channel that Kasenov was summoned for investigative actions at the Esil District Police Department, after which he was placed under arrest.
Kasenov stated that he was urgently called at 19:00, but his lawyer, Erlan Makenov, was in another city at that time, participating in investigative actions.
“I stated that I could not participate in investigative actions without a lawyer, but I was not heard. The summons to the Esil District Police Department from investigator Tazabekov was not delivered,” said the editor-in-chief of KazTAG.
Lawyer Rena Kerimova expressed the opinion that Kasenov's detention is an excessive measure under Article 274 of the Criminal Code (dissemination of knowingly false information).
“It seems that this is a reaction from law enforcement agencies to statements about pressure and illegal investigation methods. I hope that the investigative court will provide an adequate legal assessment and will not allow his arrest,” the lawyer added.
Previously, Aset Mataev and Amir Kasenov became suspects due to a complaint from Freedom Finance regarding publications about fraud by the management of this company. According to agency materials, the KazTAG editorial office learned about the initiation of the case from the media on November 20, although the case itself was initiated in the summer. According to agency representatives, the police conducted investigations and expert examinations for several months without notifying the editorial office.
Erlan Makenov, the lawyer, noted that the investigation violated the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as it did not provide the agency's management with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the ruling on the appointment of expert examinations in a timely manner, and the protocol of acquaintance was drawn up only on November 21.
Previously, KazTAG had repeatedly published materials based on statements from victims about fraudulent schemes related to the management of Freedom Finance. In particular, lawyer Svetlana Oralbaeva mentioned lost funds of depositors and transfers to offshore accounts.
