Advice on combating corruption with new partners

Details
Published: September 3, 2025
Dr Angela Reitmaier, Member of the Executive Committee of Transparency International Deutschland e.V./ Expert on international anti-corruption agreements (4th from right), Prof Dr Marat Bashimov, member of the Parliament of the Republic Kazakhstan (3rd from right) and Altynai Myrzabekova, Staff member responsible for Kazakhstan at the international secretariat of Transparency International (2nd from right).
Dr Angela Reitmaier, Member of the Executive Committee of Transparency International Deutschland e.V./ Expert on international anti-corruption agreements (4th from right), Prof Dr Marat Bashimov, member of the Parliament of the Republic Kazakhstan (3rd from right) and Altynai Myrzabekova, Staff member responsible for Kazakhstan at the international secretariat of Transparency International (2nd from right).
Kazakhstan

A new anti-corruption law is currently being intensively debated in the Majlis, the lower house of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The political debates continue to highlight the need for further support from IRZ in this area of law.

Against this backdrop, in August 2025, following its consultations with the Anti-Corruption Agency – which had been integrated into the National Security Council's anti-corruption service in June 2025 – IRZ organised a study trip with expert discussions in Berlin. This involved representatives of the Kazakh Parliament, the presidential administration, the Agency for Public Service Affairs and others. The aim was to share German experiences and best practices in effective anti-corruption and prevention, and to analyse relevant legislative initiatives and practices in dialogue with German colleagues.

During the three-day study trip, the Kazakh delegates held expert discussions at the German Bundestag, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office and Transparency International on party financing, the legal basis for combating corruption and the need for civil society involvement in the fight against corruption. Particular attention was paid to issues such as the liability of not only private individuals but also legal entities for acts of corruption in the banking sector, in the economy and in companies, as well as the provisions of German criminal law relating to bribery and favouritism towards public officials. The discussion focused on German guidelines in the public service and quasi-public sectors, as well as criminal and administrative liability for promising bribes.