The family of the Mercedes-Benz driver killed in a fatal accident on Al-Farabi Avenue in Almaty has refused the services of lawyers who represented their interests in court free of charge. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Lawyer Anna Chernova noted that she considers this procedural event expected.
"The injured party, whose interests we represented with Oleg Chernov free of charge, refused our services. We respect this decision and thank them for their trust," the lawyer wrote.
According to her, during the work on the case, the lawyers consistently defended the position on the need for a full and comprehensive investigation of all circumstances of the tragedy. In particular, they sought to call witnesses, asked questions, and insisted on checking details.
Chernova also reported that on June 12, the court is to interrogate the defendant. According to her, the side insisted that he testify in court, not online.
"And, perhaps, everyone who followed the process understands that this is one of the key stages of the trial," she noted.
The lawyer added that she does not know exactly what caused the refusal of the lawyers' services. At the same time, according to her, all victims received compensation, reconciled with the defendant, and asked the court not to impose a sentence involving imprisonment.
Chernova emphasized that the professional position of the lawyers was the need for a fair and open trial, regardless of the parties' decision to reconcile.
Earlier, the mother of the deceased girl born in 2003 also refused the services of her representatives. She explained this by saying that the family has no claims against the defendant.
The tragedy occurred on March 21, at about 03:30, at the intersection of Al-Farabi Avenue and Mendykulov Street. According to the investigation, a Zeekr car drove into the oncoming lane and collided with a Mercedes.
Behind the wheel of the Zeekr was 32-year-old businessman Alexander Pak. After the accident, he was hospitalized with injuries. The suspect was initially under convoy in a medical facility, then was taken to a pre-trial detention center.
As a result of the collision, three people in the Mercedes died.
The case is being investigated under Part 4 of Article 345 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan — violation of traffic rules resulting in the death of two or more persons. The maximum penalty under this article is up to 10 years in prison.
At the same time, lawyer Meirman Shekeyev warned in advance that even the maximum punishment would not satisfy society. He believes that such cases should be classified more strictly.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the perpetrator of the fatal accident on Al-Farabi paid all damages to the victims.
Meanwhile, the investigation of the case is under special control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Deputy Minister Sanzhar Adilov previously stated that amnesty would not be applied to Pak.