KAZAKHSTAN: INL QUARTERLY REPORT

UNCLAS ASTANA 000088 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL SNYDER, CARROLL, ALTON; SCA/CEN FOR OMARA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR KCRM KCOR PREL KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: INL QUARTERLY REPORT REF: A) ASTANA 0032, B) ALMATY 0892 ¶1. Summary: INL conducted activities in anti-money laundering, border security, anti-trafficking, crime statistics, and counter-narcotics through the calendar quarter that ended September ¶30. Also during this period, Ambassador Ordway and MVD Minister Mukhamedzhanov signed the FY2005/2006 ALOA and DCM Milas and Minister Mukhamedzhanov signed an amendment to the Financial Face Sheet for FY 2003/2004. End summary. -------------- Anti-Money Laundering -------------- ¶2. On July 24-28 INL and the Financial Police Academy sponsored a continuing professional education course on Financial Investigative Techniques (FIT) for financial police officers. Experts of the Office of Technical Assistance of the Department of the U.S. Treasury conducted the course. The FIT course is a part of the ongoing mutual work aimed at the improvement of the methods of financial investigation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and money laundering in particular. 23 financial police officers (16 investigators and seven policemen) successfully passed the course. More sessions are planned for the end of this year to cover officers in other regions of the country. ¶3. American experts co-taught the course with the Kazakhstani specialists from the Procurator General's Office of the RK, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RK, Supreme Court of the RK, Agency on Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (Financial Police),as well as professors and teachers from the Financial Police Academy. This approach is a new avenue of cooperation between INL and the Academy. The course is also remarkable because the educational material was incorporated into the official curriculum of the Academy approved by the Agency on Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (Financial Police) of the RK. ¶4. Among other topics, the instructors introduced to the FinPol Officers to use of various sources of information, international cooperation in the sphere of combating money laundering, Kazakhstani legislation on anti-money laundering and the structure of the future FIU, special investigative techniques and methods of proof. An essential part of the course was practical exercises on the above mentioned topics. -------------- STRENGTHENING THE BORDER WITH UZBEKISTAN -------------- 
¶5. International Organization for Migration (IOM) is implementing an INL-funded Project "Enhancing Immigration Inspection and Border Control on the Kazakhstani-Uzbekistani Border". One of the main elements of the project is to train Border Guard Officers and staff in how to identify fraudulent documents and use controller's mobile work station for registering passenger documents and identifying the forged documents "Berkut". On May 22-27 IOM, in cooperation with the Military Institute of the Committee for National Security (KNB), conducted two training sessions on Fraudulent Document Identification and Border Control Techniques for the border guard staff on the Kazakhstani-Uzbek border. Training was delivered in two locations "Kazygurt" and "Gani Muratbayeva" and covered 25 people from different border checkpoints. -------------- KNB NARCOTICS INTERDICTION -------------- ¶6. As part of U.S. efforts to assist Kazakhstan in the fight against drug trafficking, INL provided the KNB Military Institute with equipment to be used in specialized training sessions on drug identification and the search of vehicles. The equipment provided will permit cadets to be trained to use equipment at posts they will be assigned. Ambassador Ordway officially handed over the equipment to KNB Military Institute Director Baurzhan Yelubayev during a ceremony at the Institute on June 20. -------------- IMPROVING THE COLLECTION OF CRIME STATISTICS -------------- ¶7. INL and the Statistics Division of the Procurator General's Office co-sponsored a conference "Improvement of Collection of State Legal Statistics and Legislation in Sphere of Combating Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking," which was held in the city of Uralsk (Western - Kazakhstan oblast) on June 27. ¶8. At the conference, 24 participants from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Procurator General's Office, the Committee for National Security, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs worked out draft recommendations on improvement of collection of statistics, pertaining to narcotics-related crimes and the number of drug addicts. One of the main issues was strengthening interagency cooperation in the effort to effectively combat drug trafficking. The fourth conference is scheduled to take place in Borovoye (Northern Kazakhstan) on October 27. This is part of a three-year program to improve the collection, analysis, and distribution of statistical information on crime and narcotics in Kazakhstan. -------------- ANTI-TIP TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND JUDGES -------------- ¶9. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) implemented INL-funded training session on anti-trafficking issues for law enforcement officers and judges. The training aimed at strengthening professional capacity of the participants in detection, investigation, prosecution and conduction of hearings of human trafficking cases. ¶10. During first session for policemen and investigators on July 24-26, 19 officers successfully completed the course. Anti-trafficking experts from IOM and Kazakhstani NGO's co-taught with an expert from the U.S. Participants discussed the issue of trafficking in persons in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, established contact with various NGOs that assist trafficking victims, and learned about U.S. experience in combating human trafficking. At the end of the seminar, officers developed recommendations to improve their counter-trafficking work. ¶11. INL sponsored an anti-TIP training session for judges on July 27-29. 19 judges from around 10 different regions of the country completed the training. IOM updated participants on the recent amendments to the anti-trafficking legislation (ref A). The program mainly focused on judicial investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. The U.S. expert shared the experiences of U.S. law enforcement agencies in prosecution of human trafficking. The judges developed recommendations for conducting a trial for human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Next session for law enforcement officers and judges is scheduled for the beginning of 2007. -------------- RAISING ANTI-TIP AWARENESS -------------- ¶12. INL provided a grant to IOM to design, print and disseminate anti-trafficking in persons information materials. These materials are designed for law enforcement officers and contain information about main characteristics of TIP-related crimes, recommendations on detection and investigation of such crimes, as well as reference to organizations and agencies that provide assistance to trafficking victims. IOM disseminates the materials (plastic cards, posters, notepads, coffee cups, T-shirts, etc. to the participants in INL-funded training for law enforcement officers and judges. ¶13. The police divisions in charge of counter-trafficking in Kazakhstan are lacking specialized materials which would contain information about the methods of detection and investigation of trafficking in persons crimes. There is also a need for guidelines focused on the current counter-trafficking legislation and trafficking situation specific to the various regions of the country. To address this need INL funded the development and distribution of guidelines. Within this grant IOM has printed 1,000 brochures containing the necessary information and is disseminating them to counter-trafficking police divisions, police academies and law schools. -------------- ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS CENTER -------------- ¶14. In July 2005, at the request of the GOK, INL assisted in the establishment of a Center for Training Specialists on Combating Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (Anti-TIP Center) at the Karaganda Legal Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. (ref B) ¶15. Renovation of two auditoriums and two offices for the Anti-TIP Center are underway. INL anticipates completion of refurbishments by the end of October 2006, in time for the beginning of the next class of 30 practicing migration policemen. Upon completion of renovation INL will provide new equipment and furniture. ¶16. The Anti-TIP Center is a joint U.S.-GOK project. The GOK is constructing a five-story dormitory for students studying at the Center. Completion of the dorm is scheduled for the end of 2006. INL will provide equipment and furniture for the dorm where students will live when attending courses at the Center. MVD is hopeful that the Center will receive international status in the future. In that case, the Center will provide an opportunity for officers from Central Asian countries to improve their professional skills, as well as improve cooperation between the countries in combating human trafficking. -------------- LETTER OF AGREEMENT -------------- ¶17. On August 28 Ambassador Ordway and MVD Minister Baurzhan Mukhamedzhanov signed the Amended Letter of Agreement (#3) which obligated FY 2005/2006 INL funds totaling $680,000. The funds will be used to continue programs in counter-narcotics, border security, anti-TIP, and AML. Additionally, on September 28 DCM Milas and Minister Mukhamedzhanov signed an amendment to the FY 2003/2004 ALOA (#4) Face Sheet providing an additional $65,000 for CN and border security programs. MILAS