The Head of State held a meeting on combating corruption
February 1, 2022. In his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that an uncompromising fight against corruption is one of the main priorities of state policy. In his opinion, in order to establish the rule of law and build a real legal state, first of all, it is necessary to eradicate corruption.
The President believes that important steps have been taken in this direction in recent years. Concrete measures have been taken for the quality functioning of the courts. A three-link model of the criminal process has been introduced. As a result, last year prosecutors prevented the unreasonable involvement of nearly 3,500 people in criminal proceedings.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev informed the meeting participants that he would approve the draft Anti-Corruption Policy Concept prepared on his behalf. However, the effectiveness of the work will be evaluated by a specific result. The ultimate goal is to create a society free from corruption.
The Head of State believes that an effective fight against corruption is unthinkable without purely law enforcement work.
The Head of State dwelled separately on the issues of the operation of information systems and databases. The Ministry of Digitalization was instructed to revise all information systems developed by government agencies.
The President called for a radical review of all areas of anti-corruption activities, and also set a number of tasks for the authorized bodies. In his opinion, it is necessary to carry out systematic work on the appeals of entrepreneurs and the public about the facts of corruption.
“Particular attention should be paid to the fight against corruption in customs, construction, education and healthcare. Based on the results of the first quarter, the responsible ministries need to develop a plan to eradicate corruption in these areas on a systematic basis. All activities must be coordinated with the Anti-Corruption Agency”, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President paid special attention to the eradication of corruption in the establishment of state-regulated prices.
“The relevant authorities, when setting the price, should carefully consider whether it is justified. Along with economic factors, one should study the question of whether there are any selfish interests there. Entrepreneurs are outraged by the amount of payment for not using access roads to a specific facility”, the Head of State noted.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed to review the entire system of public procurement and procurement in the quasi-public sector. He believes that manufacturers with a reputation, appropriate equipment, skilled workers and who timely pay taxes should participate in public procurement.
“Now we see that instead of the real eradication of corruption, the process is being bureaucratized. Often, despite all the existing regulatory filters, it is known who will win this or that tender. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that serious international companies rarely participate in public procurement”.
The government, together with anti-corruption and financial monitoring agencies, was instructed to radically change approaches to regulating procurement by the state and the quasi-public sector, including the system of state control in this area.
The President dwelled on the issues of eradicating corruption in the tax and customs spheres.
“Entrepreneurs also testify to the existence of problems. According to the survey, 90% of people who trade with foreign countries face corruption. Of these, 45% were forced to pay bribes. Bribery in the field of customs and transport control does not allow us to fully use our transit potential”, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President urged to strengthen information and explanatory work among citizens. It is necessary to mobilize the entire society to fight corruption. The introduction of the principle “Corruption is a disease and the fight against it is our duty” in the mass consciousness should be jointly dealt with by all state bodies. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also considers it important to continue introducing the principles of project management in the state apparatus.
“The authorized body for civil service affairs will have to completely reboot the civil service system so that it actually becomes service and customer-oriented”, the Head of State concluded.
Member of the National Council of Public Trust and the Public Council of the Anti-Corruption Agency M. Bashimov proposed to expand public control and ensure the openness of state bodies.
In this regard, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that when appointing high officials, it is imperative to require a conclusion provided by the Anti-Corruption Agency.