ASTANA – The Investor Rights Protection Committee oversees more than 3,000 projects worth over 100 trillion tenge ($205.6 billion), with prosecutors assigned to help investors resolve disputes, address regulatory hurdles and coordinate with government agencies, committee chairman Bauyrzhan Yeraly said in an interview with The Astana Times.
Bauyrzhan Yeraly. Photo credit: the Investor Rights Protection Committee The committee was created in December 2025 and operates under the Prosecutor General’s Office. More than 600 investors have received assistance since the start of the year. While Kazakhstan has several institutions involved in investment promotion and project support, Yeraly said the committee’s mandate differs, focusing on legal protection for investors and the resolution of issues affecting their activities.
“We are not responsible for attracting investment. Our role is to ensure that investors are protected throughout project implementation: from administrative pressure, unlawful decisions and unjustified barriers. In essence, the Prosecutor’s Office serves as a guarantor of the rule of law in the economy,” he explained.
“That is precisely why a separate Investor Rights Protection Committee was established. It is no longer just a department. It is a specialized institution with its own tools and approach,” he added. The main difference lies in what he described as a shift from reactive model to proactive.
“Previously, our work was largely complaint-driven. Today, we take a proactive approach by identifying and addressing the root causes of problems rather than simply responding to their consequences. Our goal is not merely to resolve disputes, but to build a system in which investors do not need to seek protection in the first place,” said Yeraly.
Yeraly said the number of criminal cases involving businesses has declined four-fold over the past three years, attributing it to stronger legal safeguards for investors and companies. “At the same time, liability for officials who unlawfully interfere in business activities is being strengthened.
In the first quarter of this year alone, the number of administrative proceedings for illegal interference in business increased more than threefold, from 16 to 50,” he said. Yeraly said a key tool used by authorities is the individual oversight of investment projects.
“Whereas previously we worked primarily in response to complaints, we now accompany projects from their launch through implementation and even after completion. A prosecutor is assigned to each project,” Yeraly explained.