A Kazakh court began a preliminary hearing on July 27 in a case against former Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov, who faces corruption charges.
Akhmetov, who has been charged with "embezzlement and misuse of the state budget in significant amounts," appeared in the court in the central city of Qaraghandy.
He was placed under house arrest in November 2014.
The case involves 21 other co-defendants, including a former provincial governor and a former city mayor along with several other government officials in Qaraghandy.
Akhmetov, 56, a native of the Qaraghandy region, served as prime minister between September 2012 and April 2014.
Akhmetov was appointed defense minister in April last year but resigned in October.
Akhmetov's resignation was officially presented as "his own decision."