President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the Law «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Sphere of Combating Corruption». The document was adopted by the Zhogorku Kenesh (Parliament) on December 25, 2024.

The law was developed as part of the implementation of the domestic policy course on eradicating corruption in government agencies. It is aimed at creating effective mechanisms for prevention and toughening liability for corruption crimes, as well as limiting the employment of persons convicted of such crimes in the state and municipal service.

Key changes:

• A provision has been added to Article 63 of the Criminal Code on a lifelong ban on holding certain state and municipal positions or engaging in certain activities for persons convicted of corruption crimes.
• Provisions on fines for corruption crimes have been excluded from Parts 3 and 4 of Article 65 of the Criminal Code.
• A provision has been added to Article 79, according to which, when concluding an agreement on admitting guilt and compensating damages, the court shall impose a sentence in form of imprisonment of at least half the minimum term established by the article of the Criminal Code.

In addition, the following provisions are introduced into legislative acts in the sphere of labor relations of state and municipal employees:

• Persons convicted of corruption crimes are prohibited from holding positions in government agencies, regardless of the expungement or removal of the conviction, as well as in the event of termination of the criminal case on non-rehabilitating grounds.
• A mandatory lifetime ban on civil service has been introduced for persons guilty of corruption offenses.

These changes are aimed at strengthening the fight against corruption and strengthening state control over the activities of state and municipal employees.