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Legal

Kazakhstan Engaged in Legal Disputes with 20 Foreign Companies

Kazakhstan is currently involved in 20 legal disputes with foreign companies, a decrease from 26 cases in 2023, according to Yerlan Musabayev, Acting Director of the Department for the Protection of State Property Rights under the Ministry of Justice. “As of now, the Ministry is handling 20 cases involving claims totaling more than $7.5 billion,” Musabayev stated during a briefing in Astana. Of these, 13 are under review in international arbitration, five are in foreign courts, and two are in the pre-litigation stage. The reduction in the number of disputes reflects progress made over the past year, he noted. Among the Ministry's recent successes, Musabayev highlighted a key ruling by the High Court of Justice in London in favor of Kazakhstan in a case filed by Canadian uranium company World Wide Minerals (WWM). The dispute originated from Kazakhstan’s 1997 decision to deny WWM an export license for uranium and terminate a trust management contract for the Tselinograd Mining and Chemical Plant (now the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Plant). The High Court ruling, issued on February 28, 2025, overturned a 2024 decision that had awarded WWM approximately $65 million. “Under the 2025 decision, the Republic of Kazakhstan has no obligations toward World Wide Minerals. It’s worth noting that the bar for appeals in UK courts is exceptionally high, fewer than 2% succeed,” Musabayev said. Another legal victory came in a case involving the Kazakh-Italian construction joint venture Todini Impregilo Kazakhdorstroy. The company had sought $20 million in claims, but the International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Court in Paris dismissed all demands and ordered the joint venture to reimburse $277,000 in legal costs. Enforcement of the ruling required compulsory measures. “The Ministry of Justice is actively working to further reduce the number of disputes with foreign entities. Through coordinated efforts with other state bodies and the Government’s legal advisors, we’ve saved considerable budgetary resources, preserved Kazakhstan’s investment attractiveness, and strengthened the country’s international reputation,” Musabayev concluded. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan resolved a long-standing legal battle with Anatolie and Gabriel Stati’s Tristan Oil in 2024, following protracted litigation over the nationalization of oil assets. Meanwhile, early reviews of certain production-sharing agreements in the oil sector could lead to new legal proceedings in the near future.

Corruption

Tackling Corruption in Kazakhstan: The Latest Trends

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, anti-corruption efforts are a cornerstone of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s agenda. Court-ordered funds confiscated from corrupt officials have been used to finance public infrastructure: over the past three years, 150 billion tenge have been allocated to build 89 schools. On June 30, Tokayev signed a decree dissolving the country’s standalone Anti-Corruption Agency and transferring its functions to the National Security Committee (NSC), in what officials described as a move to modernize and streamline public administration. A recent analysis by Ranking.kz sheds light on the latest trends, identifying the institutions most often entangled in scandals and criminal investigations. Corruption Reaches Across All Levels Between January and May 2025, the Kazakh authorities charged 640 individuals with corruption-related offenses, representing a 3% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. However, the number of identified offenders rose to 464, up 4.3% from 445 last year. During the same period, 405 individuals were referred to the courts, an increase of 9.2% year-on-year. The largest number of defendants were employees of Akimats and their subordinate departments, totaling 66 individuals, though this figure is one-third lower than in 2024. In addition, 49 police officers, 16 employees from the Ministry of Finance, 11 from the Ministry of Agriculture, and 7 from the Criminal Executive Committee under the Ministry of Internal Affairs were brought to court. Notably, three regional akims were among those referred to court this year, compared to just one in the same period last year. One judge was also prosecuted. In total, 57 individuals from 12 different ministries faced judicial proceedings, up slightly from 54 last year. However, the data does not encompass all divisions; for instance, the figures for the Ministry of Internal Affairs include only selected departments. Bribery Remains the Most Common Offense Bribery continues to be the most prevalent form of corruption, with 167 recorded cases in the first five months of 2025, a 27.5% increase from the previous year. Internal affairs personnel were the most frequently detained for bribery (22 cases), followed by local government officials (13 cases) and employees of the Ministry of Finance (9 cases). In terms of the number of individuals involved, bribery accounted for 99 people. Corruption-related fraud followed, with 71 cases documented, rounding out the top three categories of offenses. Kazakhstan in Global Perspective Kazakhstan ranked 88th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, scoring 40 out of 100. This position is shared with North Macedonia, Suriname, and Vietnam. The index, based on assessments from organizations such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, ranks countries from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt). According to the same report, 17% of Kazakhstani citizens who accessed public services in the previous year admitted to paying bribes. By way of comparison, in Denmark and Finland, the top-ranked countries, only 1% of citizens reported such experiences. Within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Kazakhstan ranks third, behind Armenia (63rd) and Moldova (77th)....

Meat Market

Kazakhstan Proposes Criminal Penalties for Illegal Meat Sales

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, has proposed introducing criminal liability for the sale of meat that bypasses veterinary and sanitary inspections. Speaking at a government meeting, Saparov emphasized that Kazakhstan is undertaking large-scale efforts to digitize its livestock industry. Each farm animal now receives an individual identification number, with all veterinary procedures recorded in an electronic system. However, the minister warned that the system’s effectiveness depends on livestock owners maintaining accurate and transparent records. “We must strengthen oversight of livestock registration and tighten accountability, up to criminal liability, for unscrupulous livestock suppliers and buyers of animal products without proper veterinary documentation,” Saparov stated. Illegal Slaughterhouses a Threat to Public Health Saparov cited recent cases of underground slaughterhouses as a significant public health concern. In December 2024, two unlicensed facilities were discovered in Astana, distributing unregulated meat across the country. Similar operations were uncovered in Semey and Shymkent in spring 2025. Currently, criminal penalties in Kazakhstan apply only to cattle theft. Violations of veterinary and sanitary rules, unless they result in serious harm to human health, are punished administratively. Since the beginning of 2025, 64 veterinary checkpoints have inspected 28,500 vehicles transporting meat. Violations were identified in 547 cases, resulting in administrative fines for the owners. Livestock Industry Growth and Export Expansion Saparov also reported robust growth in livestock production. From January to May 2025, output increased by 4.2% compared to the same period in 2024. Meat production (in carcass weight) rose by 3%. Cow’s milk production grew by 7.5%. Almaty and Akmola regions led in meat output, while North Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions led in milk production. The livestock population also expanded: Cattle: up 23.4 percent to 9.6 million head Small ruminants: up 7.8 percent to 26.3 million head Horses: up 12.2 percent to 5 million head Camels: up 8.5 percent to 321,300 head Poultry: up 2.2 percent to 47.7 million birds “Current production volumes fully meet domestic demand for beef and mutton and allow us to expand exports to up to 50,000 tons annually,” Saparov said. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s beef exports increased by 1.4 times to over 22,000 tons. Mutton exports grew 2.2 times, reaching 18,000 tons. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Turkey expressed interest in importing Kazakh meat, reportedly offering prices nearly double those proposed by China.

Anti-Corruption

What Does the Arrest of a Former Top Anti-Corruption Official Signal for Kazakhstan?

On Friday, July 4, Kazakhstani media erupted with news of the arrest of Talgat Tatubayev, former head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, predecessor to the current Anti-Corruption Agency. Yet the significance of Tatubayev’s arrest may extend far beyond his own record. Many believe the case is the opening move in a broader probe that could ensnare Kairat Kozhamzharov, a former senator and top security official under Kazakhstan’s first president. Tatubayev’s arrest was amplified by a post from Aset Mataev, head of the KazTAG news agency and the son of Seytkazy Mataev, the current chairman of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan. Both father and son were previously prosecuted during Kozhamzharov’s tenure, a period marked by high-profile anti-corruption investigations, including the conviction of former economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev. While Kozhamzharov’s leadership was once praised for exposing major corruption cases, many in Kazakhstan’s media remained skeptical. The elder Mataev's case in particular shook the journalistic community, which saw his prosecution as politically motivated. It is widely believed that the Mataevs were targeted after refusing to sell KazTAG to allies of then-Mazhilis Speaker Nurlan Nigmatulin. “In 2016, I had two encounters with Deputy Head of the Financial Police, Talgat Tatubayev,” Aset Mataev wrote on his Telegram channel. “He offered us a deal under Article 65 of the Criminal Code, exemption from liability in exchange for a guilty plea. Others close to Nigmatulin, Yeseyev, Baybek, Zhumagaliyev, and Mailybayev took that route. We refused”. At the time, the Union of Journalists was gaining influence in the blogosphere amid growing distrust in traditional media. According to Aset Mataev, this created an opportunity for authorities to undermine the Mataevs’ reputation and isolate them professionally. Tatubayev’s damaging interview, published on Ratel.kz, appeared to many as a tool in this campaign. “He tried to intimidate us, saying, ‘We have orders, and we’ll crush you anyway,’” Mataev wrote. After Seytkazy’s arrest, Tatubayev allegedly contacted Aset from his father’s phone, urging him to stop speaking to the press. “He promised the case would be dropped. Of course, he lied. We were tortured until the verdict was handed down, while he gave interviews claiming my father admitted guilt.” Unlike Ratel.kz, which was seen as aligned with certain state actors, other outlets mentioned by Mataev allegedly served figures like Bulat Utemuratov, long considered the financial backer of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Karim Massimov, who moved from prime minister to head of the National Security Committee in 2016. The Mataev prosecution sparked widespread condemnation among journalists, who viewed it as a watershed moment in Kazakhstan’s clampdown on press freedom. To this day, the Mataev case is widely believed to have been orchestrated by Nigmatulin and his political allies. Now, with Tatubayev under arrest once more, this time for alleged torture in the notorious Khorgos customs embezzlement case, some observers see the return of unfinished business from the “Old Kazakhstan.” Khorgos, a major border post linking Kazakhstan and China, was the center of large-scale corruption investigations under Kozhamzharov’s leadership. The General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed...

Corruption

Former Justice Minister From ‘Old Kazakhstan’ Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison

Former Minister of Justice Marat Beketayev has been sentenced to nine years in prison with confiscation of property for crimes linked to large-scale corruption. Beketayev is widely regarded as a representative of the "Old Kazakhstan" of the first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, a term widely used to describe officials removed from power in the wake of the January 2022 unrest and associated with systemic corruption. Verdict Handed Down The Anti-Corruption Service of Kazakhstan announced on June 30 that Beketayev was convicted of fraud, embezzlement on an especially large scale, and illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities. Details of the case remain classified. The charges were formally submitted to the court in March 2025. Beketayev served as Minister of Justice from 2016 until early 2022. Following the January unrest, he was appointed as an advisor to the Prime Minister but was quietly dismissed in December 2022, a fact that only became public knowledge in February 2023. He was detained in October 2023 while allegedly attempting to flee the country. According to investigators, he abused his office by lobbying for the interests of an affiliated company and awarding it annual contracts for unnecessary services, actions that reportedly inflicted significant financial damage on the state. Fallout from the January Events Beketayev’s dismissal came immediately after the events known in Kazakhstan as "Bloody January" (Qantar), when protests initially triggered by rising liquefied gas prices escalated into nationwide unrest. From January 3-7, 2022, major cities were engulfed in chaos. Government buildings, law enforcement agencies, and military units were attacked; 238 people were reportedly killed, including children and police officers. The worst violence occurred in Almaty, where protesters stormed the city administration, the president’s residence, and the airport. Order was restored on January 8 with the intervention of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), at the request of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Open-source information and official investigations suggest the unrest was orchestrated by supporters of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had stepped down in 2019 after nearly 30 years in power. In the aftermath, many high-ranking officials were removed or prosecuted. Among them was former Prime Minister and National Security Committee (KNB) Chairman Karim Massimov, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for orchestrating what authorities describe as a coup attempt. Nazarbayev’s nephews, Samat Abish and Kairat Satybaldy, also faced charges. Abish received an eight-year suspended sentence due to his "sincere repentance," while Satybaldy, accused of economic crimes, paid approximately 700 billion tenge ($1.5 billion) in restitution and was released. The post-Qantar purge extended to numerous grassroots organizers and ordinary citizens involved in the unrest. In political discourse, the divide between Tokayev's supporters and the remnants of Nazarbayev’s influence is often described as a split between "New Kazakhstan" and "Old Kazakhstan." Beketayev’s Legacy and Links to Major Scandals Beketayev is considered an ally of Massimov and thus part of the old power structure. He was also involved in one of Kazakhstan’s most controversial international legal disputes, the case involving Moldovan businessmen Anatol and Gabriel Stati. In 2017, $22...

Society

Bans and Beliefs: Understanding Central Asia’s Most Controversial Restrictions

A recent controversy involving the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) has reignited public debate over seemingly bizarre bans in Central Asia. SAMK was asked to comment on whether popular video games such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, GTA, League of Legends, Minecraft, and Genshin Impact are permissible under Islamic law. SAMK responded that, from a Sharia perspective, all of these games are prohibited. The public interpreted this as an official ban, possibly even a fatwa, sparking a media uproar. But the reaction wasn’t unfounded: Central Asian republics often make headlines with prohibitions that, from the outside, can appear surreal. Yet, context often provides a more nuanced explanation. Turkmenistan: The Regional Champion of Bans Turkmenistan remains unmatched in its record of curious restrictions. Under its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, the state banned smoking in cars, mobile phones, radios, stereo systems, clowns, and lip-syncing. Public smoking was also prohibited, and officials were barred from having gold teeth. Other bans targeted personal appearance. Men were forbidden from wearing long hair, beards, or mustaches, while makeup was banned for television presenters. Niyazov justified the latter by claiming it was difficult to distinguish men from women on screen and that Turkmen women’s natural “wheat-colored” complexion should be visible. Cultural life was similarly curtailed. Niyazov abolished ballet, opera, the circus, and even the national folk dance ensemble. “I don’t understand ballet. Why do I need it?” he said. “You can’t instill a love for ballet in Turkmen people if it’s not in their blood”. His successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, retained many of these restrictions, particularly the sweeping limitations on internet access. According to Turkmen.news, as of 2023, approximately 75% of global IP addresses were blocked in Turkmenistan. The list of banned platforms includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter). Cloud services such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Dropbox are also blocked, along with most public DNS servers and online games such as Minecraft, Dota 2, and League of Legends. Dushanbe Follows Suit Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are not alone in targeting video games. In 2024, the Interior Ministry in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, banned the distribution of games and video clips deemed violent or immoral. Authorities argued that such content negatively influenced youth behavior and contributed to crime. Games like Counter-Strike and GTA were explicitly named. Tajikistan has also imposed a range of non-digital bans. In 2018, the Committee for Architecture and Construction ordered that rooftops follow a citywide color scheme: green on one side of the river, burgundy on the other. The directive was short-lived. That same year, the mayor banned wearing house clothes, galoshes, and slippers in public, citing the need to uphold the capital’s dignity. The city also outlawed drying laundry on balconies to preserve the urban aesthetic. While these rules may seem odd, they reflect the ongoing transformation of societies that, until recently, were largely agrarian. Urbanization has brought with it an effort to instill new norms and behaviors. Sorcery, Beards, and Dress Codes This same logic applies...