She expressed dissatisfaction regarding the increase in membership fees without discussion
At a meeting of the Committee of the Jogorku Kenesh on constitutional legislation, local self-government, and regulations, the chairperson of the territorial bar association of Chui region, Aizhana Niyazalieva, expressed the opinion that members of the Council of Lawyers and commissions under the bar should perform their duties on a voluntary basis and without financial compensation.
She noted that the current activities of the Council do not justify the financial costs of its maintenance.
“The Council is mainly focused on collecting fees and renewing certificates. If the fee is not paid, the certificate is not renewed. I believe that the work of the Council members and the ethics and audit commissions should be non-commercial,” Niyazalieva added.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the decision to increase membership fees was made without prior discussion with lawyers and without holding a congress, which, according to the law, should make such decisions.
According to Niyazalieva, starting from May 2025, the fee will increase from 200 to 500 soms per month, but regional bar associations were not timely informed about this.
“This issue was not discussed in the legal community. The project was not sent to regional bar associations, and we only learned about it the day before. Such changes should be made at a congress of lawyers that includes representatives from all regions,” she emphasized.
Niyazalieva also noted that the increase in fees particularly negatively affects lawyers from remote regions, such as Naryn, Talas, and Batken regions, for whom legislatively established concessions should apply, but in practice, they are not implemented.
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