Seminar for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The second seminar for judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers of the Republic of Kazakhstan took place on 17-19 September 2025 with the support of the OSCE.

This seminar is part of a series of events organised for competent authorities in individual Member States, aimed at enhancing practical skills to strengthen national AML/CFT/CPF systems in specific areas.

Participants included heads of the judiciary and the public prosecutor's office, as well as investigators, judges, prosecutors and staff from the preliminary investigation authorities and the financial intelligence unit of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The seminar agenda included an analysis of how well national legislation (Article 218 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) aligns with UN international conventions and standards on AML/CFT/CPF. This analysis was based on practical discussions of the current version of the criminal law and ways of amending it. There was also a discussion of the concept of laundering criminal proceeds for specific purposes, which distinguishes it from the ordinary disposal of criminal property.

A separate part of the seminar was devoted to detecting and investigating the laundering of criminal assets committed by third parties, as well as forms of professional money laundering. Using examples from national investigative and judicial practice, participants discussed the laundering of criminal proceeds using cryptocurrency, as well as the ML risks associated with virtual assets.

The seminar included a review and discussion of real-life criminal cases and sentences to identify shortcomings in detection and investigation, as well as the grounds for acquittal (dismissal of charges) in money laundering (ML) cases.

The seminar also covered changes to international AML/CFT/CPF standards relating to asset recovery and confiscation, and recommended measures for implementing these changes and for developing investigative and judicial practice.