According to Akhmatov, the halal industry in Kyrgyzstan is demonstrating active growth, which necessitates an increase in state control and consumer rights protection.
Currently, the Law "On the Halal Industry in the Kyrgyz Republic" is in effect, which already establishes liability for violations. However, the Code of Offenses does not contain clear articles regarding penalties for non-compliance with the norms in this area.
In this regard, the draft law proposes the introduction of a new Article 385 in the Code, which will define liability for violating the requirements of legislation in the halal sector. In particular, it is planned to establish the following fines:
- 75 calculation indicators (7,500 soms) for individuals and 230 (23,000 soms) calculation indicators for legal entities for selling halal products and services without the necessary documents;
- 130 (13,000 soms) calculation indicators as a fine for legal entities for violating the procedures for confirming compliance and issuing halal certificates without mandatory inspections.
The amounts of the fines will be similar to the sanctions currently in effect in the field of technical regulation.
Additionally, the draft law proposes amendments to Article 465 of the Code to expand the powers of health authorities. In particular, the functions for considering cases under the new article are proposed to be transferred to the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for monitoring compliance with the technical regulations of the EAEU in the field of food products.
The justification for the draft law also mentions international experience, including countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where violations of halal certification standards can lead to severe fines and even criminal liability for falsifying certificates and false labeling.
The Ministry of Economy emphasizes that the implementation of the draft law will not require additional budget expenditures from the republic and will not lead to negative social, economic, or corruption-related consequences.
