The Anti-Corruption Service has announced rewards for reporting instances of corruption.
According to the press service of the agency, last year the Call Centre received more than 26,000 inquiries, of which 5,800 provided advice on Anti-Corruption matters, and 862 reports confirmed signs of corruption offences.
It is noted that individuals who report corruption or otherwise assist in countering corruption are paid a monetary reward if the offender is convicted.
The reward amounts to up to 10%, but no more than 4,000 MCI (15.7 million tenge). In 2024, the Anti-Corruption Service rewarded 104 citizens for a total of 35.5 million tenge.
It has emerged that the majority of reports contain evidence of: extortion of bribes to avoid prosecution, abuse of power, favouritism, violations in public procurement, and other unlawful actions by officials.
The highest number of rewarded individuals came from the Karaganda, Aktobe, and West Kazakhstan regions, where between 6 and 10 people were rewarded.
For example, in 2024 in Shymkent, a local resident was rewarded 6 million tenge, or 10% of the bribe amount, for helping to stop criminal activity.
In another case, a resident of Astana was paid 3 million tenge for reporting corruption involving two citizens who were inciting police officers to accept a bribe.
The Anti-Corruption Service also ensures complete confidentiality for whistleblowers. It is noted that this category of citizens falls under a comprehensive witness protection programme.
"Now, individuals who report corruption cannot be subjected to disciplinary action, dismissed, or transferred to another position without the participation of an Anti-Corruption Service employee on the commission. In the event of disclosure of confidential information about those who report corruption, criminal liability is provided," the statement reads.
The agency emphasised that any citizen can report a corruption incident by calling 1424 to the Anti-Corruption Service Call Centre or via WhatsApp bot at 8 777 000 1424.