Kazakhstan probes billions in grant fraud amid ministry scandal
Kazakhstan's Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, has raised the question of personal accountability for violations in the distribution of scientific grants. The issue was brought up during a government briefing today, as reported by our correspondent.
Citing expert findings and audit reports, the journalist noted that the Supreme Audit Chamber had uncovered irregularities totaling around 70 billion tenge, while a prosecutor's inspection revealed financial violations in grant allocations amounting to 189 billion tenge. Criminal cases have been initiated as a result. Following these findings, the Prosecutor General's Office submitted a formal report to the government. In light of this, the journalist asked whether Nurbek—who has led the ministry since 2022—would acknowledge personal responsibility for the situation.
In response, the official stated that the ministry had undergone numerous inspections in recent years.
"Since 2023, there have been around 15 major audits, including about five conducted separately by the Supreme Audit Chamber," he said.
Nurbek emphasized that a significant portion of the reported sums pertained to procedural violations.
"If there are procedural breaches, the entire project budget is counted toward that figure. But that does not necessarily mean a crime has been committed," he explained.
According to the minister, the actual financial misconduct was substantially lower.
"Based on the Supreme Audit Chamber's report, the figure stands at around 1.7 billion tenge, of which approximately 1.2 billion is subject to recovery. We are currently addressing this," Nurbek noted.
He confirmed that the government had received formal submissions from the Prosecutor General's Office regarding sums of about 79 billion and 189 billion tenge.
"We are now preparing detailed responses for each case, specifying the nature and extent of the violations," Nurbek added.
The minister also announced planned reforms to the scientific grant distribution system, including the digitization of processes, the launch of a single application portal, and legislative amendments to enhance transparency.
