In Kazakhstan, between 2021 and 2023, more than 6,300 criminal cases related to corruption and embezzlement of public funds were registered. This is according to the National Assessment of Money Laundering Risks, published by the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA).
As reported by the Telegram channel "Politprosvet.kz", according to official statistics, law enforcement officers registered 4,973 corruption crimes over three years, including:
- in 2021 — 1,557 cases;
- in 2022 — 1,724 cases;
- in 2023 — 1,692 cases.
It is noted that more than 50% of cases involve high-ranking officials, including heads of state bodies, national companies, and regional administrations.
The highest level of corruption risks was recorded in areas such as public administration, public procurement, construction, the fuel and energy sector, healthcare, education, and agriculture.
Main schemes for legalising corruption income:
- Use of shell companies. Fictitious legal entities are created to conceal the illegal origin of funds.
- Investment in assets. Proceeds from corruption are disguised as investments in real estate, transport, and business projects.
During the same period, law enforcement agencies registered 582 criminal cases under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan (CC RK) ("Embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property"):
- in 2021 — 189 cases;
- in 2022 — 171 cases;
- in 2023 — 222 cases.
Under Article 190 of the CC RK ("Fraud involving officials"), 770 crimes were recorded:
- in 2021 — 198 cases;
- in 2022 — 257 cases;
- in 2023 — 315 cases.
Among the most common schemes for embezzling public funds:
- misuse of public funds;
- manipulation in public procurement - inflating prices for goods and services or concluding fictitious contracts;
- falsification of reports.