ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 10. This year, Kazakhstan has recovered 15 billion tenge (approximately $28.5 million), and since 2022, a total of 1.13 trillion tenge (around $2.1 billion) worth of assets have been returned, reported Askhat Zhumagali, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Agency, during a meeting with the President of Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received a report on the agency's anti-corruption efforts in the country. He was briefed on the outcomes for the first quarter of the current year and the implementation of the "Law and Order" concept.
Zhumagali pointed out that since the start of the year, a whopping 521 corruption-related crimes have come to light, with 257 officials caught red-handed, including 141 leaders from all walks of life. A whopping 366 criminal cases have hit the court's doorstep.
“The state has recovered 15 billion tenge (approximately $28.5 million) this year alone, and since 2022, 1.13 trillion tenge (around $2.1 billion) in assets have been returned. Through monitoring government procurement and targeted fund allocation, irrational spending of 21.2 billion tenge (about $40 million) has been prevented,” the president's press service stated.
The President was also briefed on the results of an external analysis of corruption risks in the tourism sector, which led to recommendations being submitted to the responsible authority.
Zhumagali shared that the project aimed at reducing corruption in road construction continues. Tokayev was also updated on efforts to build an anti-corruption culture in alignment with the "Law and Order" and "Adal Azamat" concepts.
“About 3,000 events of various formats have been conducted, reaching over 450,000 citizens. The ‘Anti-Corruption Volunteering’ initiative is being implemented, and the agency is continuing its collaboration with the League of Academic Integrity at leading universities in the country,” said Zhumagali.
President Tokayev was also informed about the agency’s international cooperation efforts, including with the OECD and GRECO. The agency has been actively engaged with the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), and in February 2025, it joined the Executive Committee of this organization.
At the end of the meeting, President Tokayev emphasized the continued focus on combating corruption, dismantling entrenched corruption networks, and cultivating an anti-corruption culture in society.
Thanks to these hard-fought efforts, Kazakhstan managed to rack up 40 points in the 2024 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, landing in the 88th spot out of 180 countries.
