During a meeting of the committee of the Jogorku Kenesh, a draft law was discussed that proposes to deprive prosecutors of the right to wear epaulettes and to reclassify them as civil servants. This initiative, prepared by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), has sparked sharp disagreement from the prosecutor's office.
Deputy Attorney General Umutkan Konkubaeva noted that behind the external changes lies an attempt to weaken the institutional status of the prosecutor's office, which, according to the Constitution, plays an important role in the system of checks and balances. She emphasized that the prosecutor's office oversees such bodies as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, SCNS, and the State Penitentiary Service, where special ranks are retained. If a prosecutor becomes a civil servant, it will significantly reduce their influence over these structures.
Konkubaeva added: "The prosecutor's office is not an auxiliary body. It is part of the system of checks and balances that ensures stability in public administration and law and order. This initiative threatens the independence of the prosecutor's office and may reduce the protection of citizens' rights."
However, lawyers responded to this topic, and lawyer Aliya Turumbekova expressed the opinion that the prosecutor's office itself has created conditions for doubts about its status. According to her, the body has effectively become formal, losing its independence before any reforms have begun.
Turumbekova noted: "The situation has reached the point where your complaints are sent without verification to the same bodies against whose actions they are filed. This approach indicates professional degradation and a complete loss of independence. The prosecutor's office has become a dependent body, and you have come to this yourself, voluntarily renouncing your key role and responsibility."
It should be noted that the draft law was initiated by the SCNS. The authors of the document aim to regulate the use of five-pointed stars on epaulettes, which, in their opinion, are currently worn by civil servants performing "purely civilian functions." The reform proposes to replace special ranks with class ranks for employees of the prosecutor's office (except for military), customs, and fiscal bodies. In particular, it is planned to reclassify the administrative block of customs to the status of civil servants to eliminate the inappropriate use of military symbolism. A final decision on these innovations will be made in parliament soon.
