Official Sees No Evidence of “Mafia” at Customs

The issue of mismatched trade figures with neighboring countries — and long-standing suspicions of criminal schemes at Kazakhstan’s customs — was raised again during a briefing at the Central Communications Service. 

Deputy Chair of the State Revenue Committee Bakytzhan Slyamov told reporters that he sees no evidence of a “mafia” operating at the border, Orda.kz reports.

Discrepancies in customs data between Kazakhstan and China — involving billions of dollars — have been debated at various levels of government for nearly two decades. Both former president Nursultan Nazarbayev and current president Qasym-Jomart Toqayev have publicly ordered the issue to be resolved.

Estimated financial losses have only continued to grow.

At the briefing, journalists asked Slyamov how authorities are combating potential organized crime at border checkpoints.

We’ve said before that the main reason for discrepancies in customs statistics is methodological. As for a mafia, we do not observe such cases. If you want, we can take you to the customs points and show everything — you’ll see that no mafia exists there,
 Bakytzhan Slyamov said.

He also argued that criminal networks are unable to control processes at the customs border, describing the state border as a sensitive strategic object beyond the reach of private actors.

The remarks contrast sharply with the well-known Khorgos case. The case involved customs officials, high-level protection schemes, and infiltration of criminal elements into law enforcement and government institutions — widely seen as evidence of the very kind of network Slyamov denies.

Deputies from the Aq Jol faction in the Majilis have also raised concerns.

They referenced the estimated $14 billion in trade discrepancies with China and recently sent an inquiry to the Prime Minister, requesting clarity on how much of the difference is due to statistical methodology.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya