ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 29. Over 1,500 corruption-related crimes were registered in Kazakhstan in 2023, said Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Agency Askhat Zhumagali during a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trend reports.
"In 2023, a total of 1,692 instances of corruption offenses were documented, leading to the exposure of 1,324 individuals, including 161 at leadership levels. Subsequently, 1,221 cases were forwarded to court for further action," he said.
According to the chairman, since 2022, the restitution of property assets and funds amounting to 1.02 trillion tenge (over $2.2 billion) to state and quasi-state sector entities has been accomplished.
Zhumagali also updated Tokayev on the advancements in several investigations. As a result of concluded criminal cases involving Operator ROP LLP, two plants situated in the Kostanay and Karaganda regions, with a collective value of approximately 20 billion tenge (over $44 million), were transferred to state ownership. In the ongoing pre-trial investigation involving Kairat Satybaldyuly, an amount exceeding 82.6 billion tenge ($185 million) has been redirected to the budget since the commencement of 2024. Furthermore, 942 hectares of land in the town of Kosshy, Akmola region, valued at over 13 billion tenge (about $29 million), have been reclaimed by the state.
"Through vigilant monitoring of the state procurement portal, unwarranted expenditures totaling 41.3 billion tenge (approximately $92 million) were averted. Irregularities in the registration of motor vehicles under Specialized Public Service Center for Motorists (PSCs) were identified, where deficiencies in information systems resulted in a significant portion of state duties and payments from vehicle registrations not reaching the budget. The rectification of these issues led to a ninefold increase in budget revenues in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching 91.4 billion tenge (over $200 million), despite a similar number of registered vehicles," the chairman said.
According to him, within the "Anti-corruption Volunteering" initiative, the project successfully averted risks associated with the overpricing of goods and services exceeding 2 billion tenge (around $4.4 million) and delivered free legal assistance to approximately 10 thousand citizens.
Meanwhile, Anti-corruption Agency forms and implements the anti-corruption policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, coordinates the anti-corruption field, as well as detects, restrains, reveals and investigates corruption offenses.
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