A Kostanay resident was sentenced to a real prison term for buying and selling cryptocurrency

In Kostanay, a man was convicted of illegal entrepreneurship, Liter.kz reports.

In city court No. 2 considered a criminal case against B. for illegal entrepreneurship – engaging in a prohibited type of business activity to organize a platform for the turnover (purchase/sale) of electronic digital assets, associated with the extraction of income on a particularly large scale, as well as the legalization (laundering) of money obtained by criminal means.

From July 2020 to December 2022, B. was involved in the turnover of unsecured digital assets. Through the website, the defendant purchased and sold unsecured digital assets Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, generating income in the amount of more than 79 million tenge, that is, on an especially large scale.

The prosecutor asked to impose a sentence on B. in the form of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to the circulation of digital assets. Defendant B. did not admit guilt and the civil suit, asked him to be acquitted

The court took into account the presence of a young child, and the court did not establish any aggravating circumstances.

The sanction of Part 2 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code provides for punishment in the form of a fine in the amount of up to five thousand MCI, or correctional labor in the same amount, or involvement in community service for up to 1,200 hours, or restriction of liberty for a term of up to five years, or imprisonment for the same period with confiscation of property.

The court sentenced B. to two years and three months of imprisonment, with confiscation of property and serving the sentence in a minimum security institution.

“B. was released from serving a sentence of imprisonment, since the time he was in custody absorbed the punishment imposed by the court. Under paragraph 3) of part 3 of Article 218 of the Criminal Code “Legalization (laundering) of money and (or) other property obtained by criminal means” B . was acquitted due to the absence of a criminal offense in his actions. The verdict did not enter into legal force,” the court said.