Kazakhstan discusses corruption rating with Transparency International and OECD in Paris

Kairat Kozhamzharov. Photo courtesy of Agency on Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption.

Last week Kazakh Lower Chamber Deputy Tursynbek Omurzakov raised the issue of Kazakhstan’s poor performance in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Tengrinews correspondent reports.

The MP noted that at the time of preparation of the sectoral anti-corruption program for 2011-2015 Kazakhstan was ranked 105th by Transparency International. By now, it has dropped to the 140th line position in the ranking. He wondered just how the Agency was going to achieve the target 90th place with less then half a year remaining to do it.

Kairat Kozhamzharov, head of the Agency on Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption, said that appropriate measures would be discussed in Paris with representatives of OECD and Transparency International.

“In September we are sending a big governmental expert group to Paris for talks with the OECD representatives and Transparency International experts. We are renewing work with the Transparency International representatives not only in Kazakhstan but in the whole Central Asian and Caucasus region. There are specific plans, step by step activities that we will carry out. The evaluation that the experts will give us will be the indicator of the efficiency of our activities," Kozhamzharov said presenting draft amendments to the law on improvement of the system of public administration.

Last week Kazakh Lower Chamber Deputy Tursynbek Omurzakov raised the issue of Kazakhstan’s poor performance in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Tengrinews correspondent reports.

The MP noted that at the time of preparation of the sectoral anti-corruption program for 2011-2015 Kazakhstan was ranked 105th by Transparency International. By now, it has dropped to the 140th line position in the ranking. He wondered just how the Agency was going to achieve the target 90th place with less then half a year remaining to do it.

Kairat Kozhamzharov, head of the Agency on Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption, said that appropriate measures would be discussed in Paris with representatives of OECD and Transparency International.

“In September we are sending a big governmental expert group to Paris for talks with the OECD representatives and Transparency International experts. We are renewing work with the Transparency International representatives not only in Kazakhstan but in the whole Central Asian and Caucasus region. There are specific plans, step by step activities that we will carry out. The evaluation that the experts will give us will be the indicator of the efficiency of our activities," Kozhamzharov said presenting draft amendments to the law on improvement of the system of public administration.

The head of the Agency also commented on the target 90th position in the ranking. He said that the strategic plan adopted in 2011 took the 105th position that Kazakhstan held at the time as the starting point. However, the situation changed and the Agency was analyzing the causes of such a drop.

He expressed hope that adoption of the Convention on Corruption in Criminal and Civil Spheres would help improve the state of affairs.

Kozhamzharov added, however, that his knowledge in the sphere allowed him to see the following: "The ranking is an external evaluation. Frankly, there are so many elements [involved], it is not an simple grade, there is a certain perhaps imposing of some values on the Kazakhstani society by Western experts.”

"Of course, the most important reference point for us is the perception of corruption among our own citizens, our investors and businessmen, who come and work in our country," the head of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption said.

Reporting by Renat Tashkinbayev, writing by Dinara Urazova

transparency CIS Corruption France Kazakh Kazakhstan Law news OECD Paris Parliament Central Asia