On May 23, Astana International University hosted a scientific-practical conference titled “10 Years of the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Administrative Offences Code, and Code of Administrative Procedure: Results, Practice, and Prospects.”
As part of the Administrative Law session and within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goal on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Dr. Marat Zhumagulov, Chief Research Fellow at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Law, Professor, and Honorary Lawyer of Kazakhstan, presented his report.
Dr. Zhumagulov’s presentation focused on “Fines in Kazakhstan: The Evolution of Administrative Liability and the Path Towards Humanizing Law Enforcement.”
He addressed current challenges in enforcing administrative penalties and emphasized the importance of adopting best practices from the European Union, the United States, Japan, and China.
Dr. Zhumagulov also outlined five key recommendations aimed at humanizing administrative liability through fines, which have been included in a draft set of proposals.
- Prevention Instead of Punishment: Expand the use of administrative penalties in the form of warnings.
- Digitalization of the Administrative Fine Process: Enabling end-to-end online handling—from violation identification to appeal submission.
- Proportionality in Determining Fine Amounts: Fines should be commensurate with the severity of the violation.
- Legal Awareness and Education: Promote legal literacy through schools, media, public service centers (CSCs), local representative bodies (maslikhats), and other channels.
- Monitoring and Feedback: surveys, case audits, case analyses, and open reports.
Thus, it is essential to foster public understanding that fines are not punitive measures aimed at generating revenue, but tools for legal education and promoting respect for the law.
