Topical issues of modernization of the law enforcement and judicial system of Kazakhstan were discussed

An International round table, organised by the International Financial Centre Astana (IFCA), the Kazakhstan Criminological Association, the International Union of Lawyers, the Sorbonne Institute of Kazakhstan, Abai KazNPU and the national volunteer movement «Izglik Elshisi» was held in Almaty on 22 December 2020. Current issues of modernization of the law enforcement and judicial systems in Kazakhstan were discussed.

The meeting was held online. It was attended by the heads of Kazakhstan`s law enforcement agencies, as well as leading Kazakhstani and international experts in the field of jurisprudence. The domestic reforms were highly praised. According to the experts, they will bring Kazakhstan`s structures closer to the standards of the developed countries of the world.

The reform of the law enforcement system, which our country needs, is generally going well. In the coming year, the course on reforms will be continued. This contributes to the adoption of new laws. Already on 31 December this year in Kazakhstan the law on enhancing the rights of citizens in the criminal process will enter into force. We have established the so-called three-tier model of criminal procedure. From now on, any key procedural decision that affects the constitutional right of our citizens will be agreed upon and approved by prosecutors, i.e., without their approval, it will have no legal force. The prosecutor must carefully and objectively examine all the materials of the criminal case, whether a crime has indeed been committed. He then gives or refuses approval, i.e. by doing so he will not involve citizens in the orbit of the criminal process.

Another task of the reforms is to create a modern, technological system in the internal affairs bodies, most importantly it must have the trust of the public. The so-called `service police` is being formed. At present, 106 redundant management units and almost 1,500 managerial positions have been abolished, and the number of police forces has been reduced by 11%. Today, the number of police officers is in line with the European average. The next stage will be to improve selection and training processes, eliminate functions that are not inherent and switch to a new format of working with the public.

This is the answer to the challenges faced by our state. A large part of the laws and other legal acts have already been adopted. In the outgoing year, a new Administrative Procedure Code has been developed. The Supreme Court, together with the General Prosecutor`s Office and the Ministry of Digital Development, is now carrying out extensive preparatory work. Its goal is to connect all government agencies on a single IT platform. On any first application of a person to public authorities, an administrative case will be opened and a unique number will be assigned to it. If the authority does not resolve the dispute, the case with the entire correspondence history will go to court and automatically be sent to the courts IT system, becoming part of the court proceedings. This system will be put into practice as early as the first months of 2021.

«Parasat» Centre