221 corruption crimes have been registered in the field of public procurement in Kazakhstan since the beginning of this year. For comparison: in 2018, this indicator amounted to 275 violations. These figures were voiced at the Council for the protection of entrepreneurs and anti-corruption held by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs “Atameken”.
According to the chairman of the Council, Kairbek Suleimenov, despite the fact that the country has adopted laws on public procurement and the fight against corruption, which are regularly amended, the procurement system in the state and quasi-public sectors continues to be one of the most corrupt sectors of the economy.
As Suleimenov explained, this is primarily due to the fact that according to Article 207 “Violation of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on public procurement” of the Code of administrative offenses, an official shall not be held administratively liable in case of self-rectification of violations within 10 working days from the day delivery of the notice on elimination of violations revealed as a result of cameral control.
“The legislator himself has granted the right to officials to violate the law on public procurement, and if they are found to be in these violations, to avoid liability provided that the previously issued acts are brought in accordance with the law, that is, a kind of indulgence is the release of an official from punishment for breaking the law,” the chairman of the Council explained.
As a result, according to statistics, in 2017, 2437 people were prosecuted under this article, while according to the Committee for Internal State Audit, cameral control revealed 11 022 violations of the law on public procurement.
“It turns out that only 22% are held accountable,” Suleimenov calculated.
He also noted that conflicts in the legislation and organizational support of public procurement create the conditions for the formation of corruption risks that have a negative impact on the development of entrepreneurial activity.
In support of his words, the chairman of the Council gave the following figures: in 2018 and 2019, 496 corruption crimes were registered in the field of public procurement. Of these, 140 – in the field of construction of facilities, 90 – in the field of housing and communal services, 110 – in the fields of education and health, and 15 – in agriculture.
At the same time, a very interesting detail was found out, most often corruption offenses are committed in Atyrau region – 79 crimes. Kyzylorda oblast is in second place (66 crimes). The West Kazakhstan region is in third place (46 crimes). The top seven regions, where the most corrupt officials live, also include East Kazakhstan, Almaty, Pavlodar and Turkestan regions.
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