Head of state holds a meeting on anti-corruption issues

President • 20 August, 2020

Head of state holds a meeting on anti-corruption issues

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the fight against corruption is one of the priorities of the country's strategic development. A number of important tasks have been implemented in this direction: Kazakhstan has joined the international organization GRECO, the law has introduced the release of managers for corruption offenses of subordinates, and the work on the examination of legal acts on corruption risks has been strengthened.

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"Compared to last year, the number of people brought to justice increased by 11% (from 820 to 912). In a survey conducted by Transparency International in 2019, 28.7% of citizens identified public hospitals and clinics as a source of corruption. This is much more than for other state institutions (police - 11.3 %, land relations department - 7 %, state kindergartens - 6.9 %). It is unacceptable that people going to hospitals, worrying about their health, also think about who and how to pay for proper medical services," the Head of state said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the need to strengthen the fight against corruption during the pandemic, when the incomes of citizens have decreased and the risks of embezzlement of funds allocated to support the economy have increased.

According to the Head of state, it was only after a shortage of medicines at the height of the pandemic that they started checking and uncovering corruption in medicine. Violations in the digitization of this sphere are being discussed only now, when tens of billions of tenge have already been spent. Today, huge funds are allocated for education, employment and social facilities.

"We must have guarantees that in a year's time we will not again talk about the identified theft in these areas, that these ministries will not be in our anti-leaders. People don't need fancy arrest reports when multibillion-dollar funds have already been stolen? I believe that we must radically restructure this work," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

The President is convinced that anti-corruption activities should be given a new impetus in all areas. Inaction in the fight against corruption leads to an increase in citizens ' protest moods and legal nihilism.

The head of state instructed to pay special attention to further integration of databases and accelerated digitalization of public services. The Prosecutor General's office must immediately stop the facts of unjustified involvement of entrepreneurs in the orbit of criminal prosecution.

At the same time, public control should be strengthened across the entire anti-corruption front.

- People still complain about corruption in universities, colleges and even in schools. Corruption can penetrate deeply into our society and become a daily occurrence. This is the main problem. Entrepreneurs believe that the land Committee, fire service, tax and customs authorities remain corrupt. The quality of roads is also of high concern to the population. In addition, the anti-corruption Commission informed me that there are serious problems in the field of water resources. Public control mechanisms should work on all these issues. Non-governmental organizations should be involved. Their participation in the examination of normative legal acts is necessary,- Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

In conclusion, the President of Kazakhstan noted that the security of the country and the well-being of the people depend on the implementation of systematic and effective measures in the fight against corruption. The President instructed the Government to work out in detail the proposals submitted by the anti-corruption Agency within a month.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the anti-corruption Agency Alik Shpekbayev, Minister of Healthcare Alexey Tsoi, Minister of Internal affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev, first Vice Minister of digital development, innovation and aerospace industry Bagdat Musin, Minister of Finance Yerulan Zhamaubayev, Minister of agriculture Saparkhan Omarov, mayor of Shymkent Murat Aitenov and mayor of Zhambyl region Berdibek Saparbayev reported.

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