Criminological Aspects of Business Protection in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The relevance of this research is underscored by the intersection of criminology and investment rights protection at the current stage of the Republic of Kazakhstan's economic system. This study aims to analyze the existing mechanism of ensuring the protection of investment rights, particularly from a criminological perspective, focusing on legal frameworks and government strategies against economic crimes. Employing methods such as logical analysis, formal-legal, dogmatic, legal hermeneutics, and deduction, the research scrutinizes statistical data highlighting regions and industries in Kazakhstan attracting significant investments and the related criminological implications. The study reviews activities of state bodies, particularly the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in supporting significant investment projects while monitoring for economic crimes. A notable finding includes the government’s plan to implement 265 investment projects worth 540 billion tenge, monitored for legal compliance by prosecutors to safeguard investment rights. Furthermore, an analysis was conducted on the joint decree and activity plan for supporting investment projects, establishing criminological competencies within the "one window" principle cooperation framework among the General Prosecutor’s Office, authorized bodies, and Kazakh Invest. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in providing a criminological assessment of the current mechanism, which aims to enhance the efficiency and quantity of foreign investments while improving the safeguards against economic crimes in Kazakhstan’s investment sector.