Today, ethics and behavior of civil servants are given greater importance. Compliance with ethical norms occupies a special position in the civil service system.
Work is underway to prevent the growth of gambling addiction, including among civil servants.
In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 08.07.24 № 116-VIII (enacted from September 9, 2024) paragraph 1 of Article 12 of anti-corruption restrictions of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Combating Corruption” was supplemented with subparagraph 6, which provides for a ban on the participation of civil servants in gambling and betting.
It should be recognized that the formation of public opinion in respect of civil servants is to a certain extent related to their behavior outside office hours. In this direction, the Code of Ethics provides that:
- Civil servants in off-duty time must adhere to generally accepted moral and ethical norms, show modesty, do not emphasize and do not use their official position in obtaining appropriate services and do not allow cases of antisocial behavior involving an attack on public morals.
Thus, in accordance with subparagraph (10) of paragraph 6 of chapter 3 of the Code of Ethics of Civil Servants of the Republic of Kazakhstan, civil servants must refrain from visiting gambling establishments, except in cases related to the performance of official duties.
According to paragraph 4 of Article 12 of the Law, failure to comply with anti-corruption restrictions by persons shall result in refusal to accept a position or dismissal (dismissal from office, termination of powers), failure to comply with such restrictions shall be grounds for dismissal (dismissal from office, termination of powers).
There is an explicit legal prohibition of such activities for officials in respect of whom information on the facts of participation in gambling is received. Violation of this prohibition entails dismissal from office.
In order to prevent registration in betting sites, in March of this year a service on voluntary self-restriction of participation in online gambling and betting was launched through the mobile application “eGov mobile”.
Civil servants in their activities should be committed to the state policy and consistently implement it, strive to preserve and strengthen public confidence in the civil service, the state and its institutions.
The public expects public servants to perform their duties and functions competently and efficiently in accordance with the law with all due diligence.
The performance of public service is an expression of special trust from society and the State and places high demands on the service ethics of public servants.
Commissioner for Ethics, Deputy Head of DGD for the region Zhetisu Baimuldinov N.A.