Kazakhstan doubles fines for giving bribes

Kazakhstan has taken the fight against corruption seriously. From now on, the penalties for such offences will be much harsher. As of January, the fines for bribery have increased. The minimum penalty has increased twofold. In addition, those who want to bribe a civil servant, will have to pay to the state treasury an amount 10 to 20 times higher than the bribe itself. The one who acts as an intermediary will have to pay the same amount. Also, as before, it is possible to be jailed for bribery, and this year, the term of imprisonment for this crime was increased as well.

“For example, if before for crimes provided in the second part of Article 367 of the Criminal Code ‘Giving a bribe in a large amount’ the maximum penalty to the act recognized as a medium-gravity crime was up to five years in prison, then, according to the new edition, the highest penalty was increased to seven years of imprisonment, which automatically classifies this act as a serious crime with the corresponding legal consequences. This includes a ban on parole and the impossibility of serving a sentence directly in a minimum-security prison,” said Olzhas Bektenov, First Deputy Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Kazakhstan.