On 23 May in Astana, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the Public Foundation “Legal Policy Research Center” (LPRC), held a workshop on international and national practices in adjudicating corruption-related crimes. Organized as part of the annual training course at the Academy of Justice under the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the event gathered 20 judges from city and province courts.
The discussions were led by the national expert from LPRC, who provided an overview of national practices concerning adjudication of corruption offenses and relevant international standards in this area. The participants discussed issues related to the link between corruption and organized crime, the classification of corruption offenses in court proceedings and increased their awareness of existing Kazakhstan's commitments in criminalizing and prosecuting corruption in line with the UNCAC provisions.
International expert from Israel provided insights on practical aspects of investigation of corruption-related crimes, including the links between “professional launderettes” and corrupt officials along with active engagement of local communities. Experts from Ukraine spoke about high-profile criminal cases considered by the High Anti-Corruption Court.
The findings of an analysis of convictions on corruption offences in Kazakhstan’s courts conducted by LPRC were also presented to the audience.
This event was organized within the framework of UNODC project funded by the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Bureau of the U.S. Embassy in Astana.
