Tashiev: 80% of corrupt individuals get off with fines, but from 2025 they will face a real sentence.

At the session of the Jogorku Kenesh on December 5, the head of the SCNS, Kamchybek Tashiev, presented a draft law amending the anti-corruption legislation.

According to the draft law, candidates for service in the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies or judicial bodies will be denied admission if their spouses or close relatives have been convicted of serious crimes, or if the criminal case against the candidate was dismissed on non-rehabilitative grounds. The draft law also introduces a mandatory lifetime ban on holding public and municipal positions for individuals convicted of corruption-related offenses.

In addition, the draft law excludes fines as a punishment for corruption-related offenses. Instead, real prison sentences will be imposed. Tashiev noted that under the current legislation, many corrupt individuals often get away with fines despite the severity of their actions, thanks to the leniency of judges.

"From the corruption cases we are reviewing, nearly 80% of the accused have gotten away with fines. Committing corrupt acts has become commonplace. This will no longer be the case—they will receive real prison sentences," Tashiev stated.

If the draft law passes all three readings, starting January 1, 2025, corrupt individuals will no longer be able to escape with fines and will instead be sentenced to actual prison time. The head of the SCNS also reminded that corrupt individuals have the opportunity to legalize their actions before the end of the year.