Pavlodar prosecutors find 289 inmates falsely listed as employed

September 24, 2026 at 05:42 PM2 min

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Prosecutors in Pavlodar Region found that 289 inmates at a penal institution were listed as employed without working. A check of pension and social contributions confirmed employment for only 205 of the 494 reported workers. The employment figure was inflated 2.5 times, and officials were disciplined.

Key Facts

Out of 855 able-bodied inmates at one penal institution, 494 were reported as employed, but only 205 had confirmed pension and social contributions.
289 inmates had no employment contracts or proof of work, inflating the employment figure 2.5 times.
The fictitious employment was formalized by an order of the "Enbek-Pavlodar" branch.
Prosecutors attributed the violations to poor organization of inmate employment and oversight of reporting data.
Following a prosecutorial submission, guilty officials were brought to disciplinary responsibility.

The Inspection

The Pavlodar Region prosecutor's office checked one institution of the penal system. The institution had 855 able-bodied inmates, of whom 494 were listed as employed. A review of pension contributions and social payments confirmed actual employment for only 205 inmates. The remaining 289 inmates had no employment contracts or other proof of work. As a result, the reported employment figure was inflated by 2.5 times.

Fictitious Employment Mechanism

Prosecutors established that the fictitious employment was formalized by an order of the "Enbek-Pavlodar" branch. Some inmates were included in reporting without concluded employment contracts. Mandatory payments that usually confirm real labor relations were also absent. The violations were caused by improper organization of inmate employment and control over reporting data.

Response and Context

After the prosecutor's intervention, a submission to eliminate violations was introduced. Following its consideration, guilty officials were brought to disciplinary responsibility. Earlier, Prosecutor General Berik Asylov discussed prison system reform, noting that inmate employment had grown from 50% to 70% in recent years. The Pavlodar inspection suggests that the reported growth may include inflated figures. The cost of keeping one inmate reaches three million tenge per year, and every third of the 30,000 inmates has previously served a sentence.