In Kazakhstan, police bribe taker received 6 years in prison
The head of the Migration service department of the police department of Kostanay, Kumar Baizhanov, took bribes from foreign citizens for general protection, unimpeded temporary registration and registration of a residence permit to foreign citizens. According to investigators, Baizhanov received a total of about $7.8 thousand for his services.
“The Anti-Corruption Service of Kostanay region has previously completed a pre-trial investigation against the head of the Migration Service of Police Department of Kostanay region, lieutenant colonel K. Baizhanov, on suspicion of repeatedly receiving bribes. He was suspected of receiving bribes on a systematic basis,” anti-corruption fighters noted in their official statement.
On October 29, by the verdict of court No.2 of the city of Kostanay, lieutenant colonel Baizhanov was sentenced to six years in prison in a minimum security colony with life deprivation of the right to hold public positions and special ranks.
Six more defendants in this case were also held accountable. So, a Russian citizen Galina Kravchuk received 4 years in prison.
And five bribe takers, among whom were citizens of Tajikistan, Russia and Armenia, were sentenced to fines of ten times the amount of bribes – from $650 to $3000.
As ACCA reported, the other day, Kazakh President Kasym-Zhomart Tokaev instructed the government of the Republic to cancel the mandatory registration of foreign citizens in the Migration police, as it not only creates inconvenience for foreigners, but also is a source of great corruption.
“This negatively affects the reputation of the country as a whole,” Tokaev emphasized.
The President of Kazakhstan said that the fact that foreigners passed border control is already a migration registration.
“What is digitalization for? We talk so much about it. The government should resolve this issue before the new year. As the Minister of Internal Affairs informed me, there is a readiness for this,” Tokaev said.
We also add that according to the current norms of Kazakh legislation, foreign citizens arriving in Kazakhstan must register with the internal affairs bodies within five days from the moment of arrival. The exception is Russian citizens and labor migrants from the countries of the Customs Union, for them, the registration period is increased to 30 days.
If the period of stay of a foreigner does not exceed 5 days, then registration is not required.
In addition, immigrants holding a diplomatic or official passport are exempted from registration; immigrants who arrived in Kazakhstan with a diplomatic, official, or investor visa or when confirming the status of an “investor” from an authorized body.
