We were very encouraged to see positive movement this week on an issue that has been on ITIC’s agenda in Kazakhstan for some time. A sustained focus by ITIC and other organizations has made high-level action more likely.

Following the Foreign Investors’ Council meeting on 5 June in Astana, Agris Preimani (EBRD Country Director for Kazakhstan) commented on “the possibility of amending the criminal procedural legislation – in terms of exempting the officials (and) organizations which voluntarily paid their taxes, fines, and penalties charged, from criminal liability for tax evasion regardless of whether the violation was committed for the first time or not.” He also stated that “We (the Council) also recommend an alternative definition of ‘large-scale’ and ‘particularly large-scale damage' for the application of Article 24.5 of the Criminal Code and improvement of the processes of administering and investigating tax criminal offences.”

Moukhit Akhanov is President, ITIC Kazakhstan and Douglas Townsend is a Senior Advisor for ITIC.