Representatives of the UK Revenue Bar Association took part in a roundtable discussion at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in London to discuss the upcoming referendum on the amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
British lawyers were briefed on the political reforms announced in the State-of-the-Nation Address by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on 16 March, which include a large-scale constitutional reform. The proposed package of amendments to the Constitution is aimed, among other things, at limiting presidential powers, strengthening the parliament, modernising the electoral process, strengthening the political party system and local government, protecting the fundamental rights of citizens, and strengthening the role of civil society institutions and the media.
British legal experts positively assessed the reforms aimed at building a New Kazakhstan, noting that their successful implementation would lead Kazakhstan to a new level of modernisation.
“We are delighted to hear that you have reforms happening and that you have a referendum taking place, and we are very excited to learn about the results in a few days’ time,” said Felicity Cullen QC, Chair of the Revenue Bar Association.
When asked about the extension of the list of cases to be eligible for trial by jury, she noted that the practice has been in the English common law system for many centuries and highlighted that “the more cases that have an ‘ordinary hearing’, the better from our perspective. We look forward to the implementation and to seeing the progress in the new system.” She also added that online broadcasting of trials will certainly lead to greater transparency and greater confidence in the system.
