Legal Mechanisms for Combating Money Mule Activities Discussed at KazNU

On October 13, 2026, the Faculty of Law of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted a roundtable entitled “Countering Money Mule Activities: Improving Legal Mechanisms and Combating Criminal Networks.” The event was organized by the Department of Theory and History of State and Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law.
The roundtable was held within the framework of research project AP26101531, “Developing Effective Mechanisms to Suppress Money Mule Activities in the Digital Economy: Addressing Legal Gaps and Countering Criminal Networks,” supported through grant funding for scientific and scientific-technical projects for 2025–2027 by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The event brought together university scholars, representatives of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, lawyers, doctoral students, and master’s students. Alongside Kazakhstani specialists, practicing lawyers from the People’s Republic of China shared their experience. The roundtable was moderated by the project leader, Candidate of Legal Sciences and Associate Professor K.R. Useinova, and Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Zh.A. Kegembayeva.
The discussions addressed forensic aspects of detecting and investigating money mule activities, the criminal-law assessment of such conduct, the liability of bank account holders, and issues concerning proof of guilt. Participants emphasized the importance of assessing the nature of specific actions, the circumstances of a person’s involvement in a criminal scheme, and the legal consequences.
Among the presentations distinguished by their substantive content and practical relevance were those delivered by Professors Z.Zh. Kenzhaliyev, A.A. Aubakirova, and A.K. Kusainova, as well as lawyers He San Gui and He Ran from the People’s Republic of China. Their presentations examined the detection and investigation of money mule activities, the protection of victims’ rights, and the recovery of funds, and introduced China’s experience in combating digital fraud. Law enforcement officers actively participated in the discussion, sharing their views on challenges encountered in their daily work and possible ways to address them. The exchange between scholars and practitioners enabled participants to examine legal mechanisms for combating money mule activities in connection with practical experience. The issues considered at the roundtable provided an important scholarly and practical foundation for further research within the project and the development of proposals to improve legal mechanisms.