In Kazakhstan, the challenge “Don’t give bribes!” was started

Department of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Akmola region started the challenge “Don’t give bribes!”. According to the head of the Regional Anti-Corruption Department Murat Tuleubaev, the baton was handed to the Regional mayor’s office, after which all state and law enforcement agencies of the region will take part in the challenge.

 According to Tuleubaev, since the beginning of the year, the Agency has registered 47 offenses under the article “Giving a bribe”. “Every day, we urge residents of the region to refuse to pay bribes to public servants and other officials, constantly remind them of criminal and administrative responsibility for committing various corruption offenses,” said Murat Tuleubaev.

 It is noteworthy that the challenge was started just four days after a corruption scandal, which involved two high-ranking police officers of the region – deputy chief Asan Saduov and head of the financial support department of the police, Saule Zhumalina. Both colonels are suspected of financial and economic violations committed earlier. According to some reports, the detained law enforcement officers appropriated per diem and bonuses of other police officers.

Asan Saduov was appointed to the post of deputy chief in April 2018, having behind him the experience of working as the head of the department for combating organized crime. Saule Zhumalina headed the Financial support department of the police since 2014.

According to the Police department of Akmola Oblast, a pre-trial investigation was initiated against the mentioned police officers under the article “appropriation or embezzlement of entrusted property”. The investigation is being carried out by the Department of Internal Security of the Police Department of Akmola region, together with the interagency investigation and operational group of the Regional Department of the National Security Committee. It also became known that Saduov was dismissed from the police on October 3.

Meanwhile, according to the Press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, since the beginning of the year, a pre-trial investigation was opened against 307 law enforcement officials. 170 of them are suspected of corruption offenses. At the same time, 74 executives have already been prosecuted, 52 of them – on corruption charges.

“Employees are held accountable for fraud, bribery, abuse of authority, falsification of evidence, and other crimes,” said a statement released by the Press service of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs. “The personal responsibility of managers, who do not take appropriate preventive measures, is extremely important in this work. For example, the head of the Department of the penal system in Kyzylorda region was relieved of his post in connection with the detention of his deputy for corruption crimes. Also, deputy heads of police departments of Atyrau and Zhambyl regions lost their posts for corruption crimes of the heads of supervised units.”

The Ministry also said that today in some regions of the country checks are being carried out for corruption schemes, including those related to personnel issues, in the field of public procurement, etc.

“The fight against corruption in the Internal Affairs bodies will be uncompromising. Therefore, I urge citizens not to stand aside and inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs of all facts of corruption offenses committed by our employees. Appropriate measures will be taken for each case,” the Press service quoted the Minister of Internal Affairs Erlan Turgumbaev.