On 7 December 2020, the Council of Europe Economic Crime and Cooperation Division organised a webinar to discuss the anti-corruption framework of Kyrgyzstan based on a report and recommendations of an expert desk review conducted in accordance with GRECO’s First Evaluation Round methodology. The webinar brought together the authorities of Kyrgyzstan involved in anti-corruption activities – the General Prosecutor’s Office, the State Service for Combating Economic Crime, the Government Secretariat, Secretariat of the Security Council, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The simulated GRECO-style desk review of Kyrgyz legislation and practices followed a request from Kyrgyz authorities to learn more about the GRECO evaluation process and the practical application of Council of Europe standards in the fields of specialised anti-corruption bodies and immunities. In this regard, the webinar provided an opportunity for the Council of Europe to present the main findings and recommendations of the desk review and discuss the recommendations with the relevant authorities.
Among the main recommendations underlined by the experts were the need to delineate responsibilities between different authorities in the implementation of anti-corruption plans and to set up a unified mechanism to assess the implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy. Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan was recommended to revise the definition of corruption currently found in national legislation in order to bring it in line with relevant international standards. Additionally, the report recommended the introduction of clearly defined rules to efficiently distribute corruption cases between the anti-corruption law enforcement agencies/departments and to secure the specialisation of investigators in corruption cases. Finally, the report recommended Kyrgyz authorities to review and harmonise various provisions relating to immunities, to reduce the categories of persons enjoying immunities, and to abolish the inviolability enjoyed by the judges after their terms of office have expired.
In addition, the webinar also provided an opportunity for Kyrgyz authorities to pose questions regarding the functioning of the GRECO methodology and different evaluation rounds, as well as issues such as the GRECO non-compliance procedure and current trends in the implementation of GRECO recommendations. In closing, the authorities of Kyrgyzstan reiterated their interest in joining this Council of Europe anti-corruption monitoring mechanism.
This activity was organised in the framework of the project “Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime”, part of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023, joint initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The project is aimed at strengthening capacities to fight and prevent economic crime in five Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan.