In the Jogorku Kenesh, a discussion took place regarding a draft law that proposes to remove the right of prosecutors to wear epaulettes and classify them as civil servants. This initiative, prepared by the State National Security Committee (GKNB), has caused discontent among representatives of the prosecutor's office.
Deputy Prosecutor General Umutkan Konkubaeva noted that behind the seemingly technical changes lies an intention to weaken the institutional status of the prosecutor's office, which, according to the Constitution, is an important element of the system of checks and balances. She emphasized that the prosecutor's office supervises the Ministry of Internal Affairs, GKNB, and the State Service for Execution of Sentences (GSIN), where ranks are preserved. If prosecutors become ordinary civil servants, it will negatively affect their influence.
“The prosecutor's office is not a service agency. It plays an important role in the system of checks and balances, ensuring the stability of state governance and law and order. This initiative threatens the independence of the prosecutor's office and may reduce the protection of citizens' rights,” Konkubaeva added.
Nevertheless, the issue of the real independence of the prosecutor's office has elicited reactions among lawyers. Lawyer Aliya Turumbekova expressed in her blog that the prosecutor's office itself contributed to the emergence of a situation that calls its status into question. According to her, the agency has effectively lost its independence even before the reforms began.
“Unfortunately, complaints filed against certain agencies are sent to the same agencies without any checks. This approach indicates professional degradation and a complete loss of independence. The prosecutor's office has become a dependent structure, and this has happened because of your own actions, as you have abandoned your key role and responsibility,” Turumbekova wrote.
It is important to note that the draft law was initiated by the GKNB. The authors of the document propose to regulate the use of five-pointed stars on epaulettes, which, in their opinion, are unlawfully worn by civil servants performing exclusively civilian functions. The reform suggests replacing special ranks with class ranks for employees of the prosecutor's office (except for the military), customs, and tax authorities. In particular, the administrative block of customs plans to transition to the status of civil servants to eliminate the unjustified use of military symbolism. The fate of these changes will be decided in parliament in the coming days.
