The scientific-practical conference “Prosecutorial supervision: history, present and development prospects” was held at the Prosecutor General’s Office, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Utegen Seitov, a prominent statesman and public figure, state adviser to justice of the 1st class, Prosecutor of the Kazakh SSR from 1966 to 1984.
The forum was attended by veterans of the prosecutor’s office, deputies of Parliament, representatives of the Presidential Administration and the Office of the Prime Minister, central government bodies, non-governmental organizations, scientists and practitioners.
The participants shared their memories of Utegen Seitovich in a special warm and cordial way, because he was a man with a capital letter, a professional with unquestioned authority.
Forty years of the work biography of the legendary prosecutor are connected with valiant service to law and order, 18 of which he headed the supreme supervisory body of the republic. It is difficult to overestimate his services to the state, his contribution to the formation of the national prosecutor’s office.
The meeting discussed the personal and ethical principles of the prosecutor’s profession, the preservation and continuity of the best traditions of supervision.
In the framework of the discussions, urgent problems of the moral and psychological qualities of the prosecutor, professional responsibility and the observance of moral and ethical standards of behavior in the context of strengthening the authority of the prosecutor’s office and increasing the trust of citizens were raised.
Such important aspects as enhancing the role of the leader in the formation of the personality of the prosecutor, improving the efficiency of training of modern specialists, and a qualitative update of the personnel potential of supervisory authorities were also considered.
The second session of the forum is devoted to the problems and prospects of introducing the institution of mediation in the criminal process.
It was noted that there are appropriate prerequisites for the development of mediation in Kazakhstan. There is an appropriate legislative base, practical measures have been taken to strengthen the rule of law in this area.
Over the past five years, the number of examined cases involving mediators has increased in proportion to the total number of cases examined by courts. If in 2013, with the participation of mediators, 5% of the total number of cases completed by the proceedings was considered, then in 2017 it was already 23.5%.
At the same time, proposals were made to improve the legislative framework for criminal mediation, the reasons for the more active use of the reconciliation procedures were considered.
First of all, this is the absence of a single centralized body that would represent the interests of the entire community of mediators at the state level. In addition, the lack of interest of the investigating authorities in conducting pre-trial mediation. This is evidenced by a significant imbalance in the use of mediation in the pre-trial stage of the criminal process and in court – 8.6% and 75.5%, respectively. There is also an urgent need for the state to subsidize the services of mediators, services rendered to socially vulnerable groups of the population.
Following the meeting, recommendations were developed aimed at improving the law enforcement potential of prosecutorial supervision, creating a high-quality staffing system, and developing a mediation institution in Kazakhstan.
