OSCE Centre co-organizes seminar on new criminal justice codes in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, 23 December 2014 - More than 70 officers of the investigative and operational units, departments of internal security of State Revenues Committee of the Finance Ministry from across the country take part in a four-day training seminar, which began today in Astana.

Participants of the seminar will discuss with scholars and experts new legal institutions and criminal justice policies introduced by the new Criminal, Criminal Procedure and Criminal Executive Codes and the Code of Administrative Offences that will enter into force as of 1 January, 2015.

National legal experts will provide an overview of new model of the criminal and administrative justice, most specifically classification of crimes, delicts, difficulties in qualifying some articles of the Criminal Code, including corruption-related crimes, procedural status of newly introduced investigative judge and procedural prosecutor, the use of covert investigative measures, probationary control and other novelties. Specific focus will be placed on investigative techniques and methods to be applied by financial police officers in light of new criminal justice codes.  

“In the context of transition to new administrative, criminal and criminal executive legislation, professional expertise of officials responsible for the implementation of new legal provisions is of paramount importance for ensuring effective and efficient functioning of the legal system,” said Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana. “Today's seminar is to help grasp the essence of the ongoing criminal justice reform and enhance skills and knowledge of financial police officers to enable them to work in line with newly adopted codes.”

Deputy Head of the Finance Ministry’s Training Centre Serik Biekenov said:  “The current phase of the ongoing criminal and administrative justice reform sets the priority for government and law enforcement officials to adjust the changes in legislation to the public needs and the specific life circumstances.”

The seminar was co-organized by the by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the State Revenues Committee of the Finance Ministry of Kazakhstan. It concludes a series of training events the Centre has supported in 2014 for some 2,000 officers representing law-enforcement agencies aimed at enhancing their knowledge of new criminal justice and administrative legislation in Kazakhstan.