Akhmetov's lawyer asks for sentence to be repealed

    The lawyer for former Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov asked an appellate court on March 10 in Astana to annul the verdict of the Court of the First Instance and grant a pardon.
    "Akhmetov has admitted his guilt and has sincerely repented," lawyer Nikolay Lesnik said at a hearing of the appellate court.
    The prosecutors had asked the court to give them until March 11 to prepare a response to the statement.
    In December 2015, Akhmetov was found guilty of embezzlement of entrusted property, the illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, abuse-of-power and obstruction of business. He was sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony.
    In late December, Akhmetov's lawyers appealed to the court against the sentence.
    "Our client Serik Akhmetov admits that while serving as the governor of the Karanda Oblast and the prime minister of Kazakhstan he overlooked and allowed violations of the state interests to happen in Karaganda Oblast, which resulted in damages to the state," he added, Akipress reports.