ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered the government and oversight bodies to submit proposals to reduce corruption in state-owned companies by Nov. 24, following the detention of senior executives at Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway company.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chairs an operational meeting of the Security Council on Nov. 13, where he addressed the detention of senior executives at Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy. Photo credit: Akorda.
Speaking at an operational meeting of the Security Council on Nov. 13, Tokayev described the detentions as “an extremely serious signal” indicating widespread corruption in state-owned companies.
He stressed that the Constitution is the country’s supreme law and that violations of its provisions would be addressed under the Law and Order principle.
“The Constitution is the Basic Law of our state, the legal passport of the people. Disregarding the Constitution and its fundamental provisions is tantamount to discriminating against the people. Such actions will be suppressed in accordance with the Law and Order principle. No one is allowed to violate the Constitution or even mock this, one could say, sacred document,” Tokayev said.
He also emphasized that officials entrusted with public authority must act decisively to protect national interests, particularly when the country’s reputation, public trust in national institutions and international standing are at stake.
He noted that Samruk Kazyna manages Kazakhstan’s strategic assets, implements major investment projects and cooperates with leading foreign companies and international financial institutions.
“Behind each such agreement and partnership are numerous years of negotiations, Kazakhstan’s commitments and the trust of the international community in our country,” he said.
State-owned companies continue operations
Tokayev stressed that the detention of executives would not affect the operations of Samruk Kazyna or state-owned companies, including KTZ. All institutions and enterprises under their management continue to operate as usual.
“This serious incident is not a reason for disruptions in the operations of the Fund and state-owned companies. Moreover, I am confident that the fight against corruption should, on the contrary, increase the confidence of investors and creditors in this institution, and its work will become more efficient, transparent and productive,” he said.
Tokayev also highlighted the recovery of illegally acquired assets, noting that the Prosecutor General’s Office had secured the return of more than 1.3 trillion tenge (US$2.9 billion). The funds were allocated to building 466 social and infrastructure facilities, including medical institutions, water supply systems, schools and sports complexes. Of these, 383 have been completed.
He said the quality of completed facilities should also be assessed, pointing to recurring problems with infrastructure quality, particularly roads.
Corruption statistics and investigations
According to Tokayev, authorities identified 3,168 corruption offenses between 2023 and 2025. Of these, 2,165 were committed by civil servants, while the remaining cases involved other individuals, including employees of the quasi-public sector. The total amount involved exceeded 248 billion tenge (US$550 million).
In the first 10 months of 2026, authorities recorded 751 corruption-related offenses, including 546 committed by civil servants and 205 by other individuals, including employees of quasi-public sector entities.
Tokayev acknowledged that the corruption situation remained challenging and said the authorities would continue to report publicly on the situation and measures being taken to address it. He said all reports of corruption offenses involving officials at different levels would be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the National Security Committee’s Anti-Corruption Service, with the participation of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“Naturally, there will be no division into ‘our own,’ ‘not quite our own’ and, even more so, ‘outsiders.’ Our Constitution has established the principle of equality of all citizens before the law. We must comply with this requirement,” Tokayev said.
He added that no one, regardless of their position, achievements or personal connections, should expect exemptions from the law.
President Tokayev instructed the government and oversight bodies to submit concrete proposals by Nov. 24 to reduce corruption offenses and improve the performance of quasi-public sector companies and their staff.
