Under the MCC program, the Government of Kyrgyzstan will seek to reduce public corruption in the criminal justice sector by strengthening the legal framework, providing training for prosecutors and judges, improving financial disclosure mechanisms, implementing an effective witness protection system and special anti-money laundering unit, and educating the public about anti-corruption measures. This component will accelerate the Kyrgyz Republic’s ambitious criminal law reforms to make the criminal justice system more transparent and to provide a greater balance of powers between prosecutors and the judiciary.

To increase the independence and effectiveness of—and decrease corruption in—the judicial system, MCC’s Threshold Program focuses on judicial reform. The program is designed to strengthen the rule of law and decrease corruption by improving the judicial personnel system and internal judicial management, streamlining the legal framework for handling commercial cases, and increasing public access to and management of judicial information. Critical to these efforts is improving the personnel system, the judicial selection process and disciplinary system, judicial budgeting, the enforcement of judgments, and court automation.

To develop a more functional, effective, and trusted police force, the Threshold Program will reduce public corruption within law enforcement by improving personnel selection, management and internal investigation capacities, as well as enhancing civilian monitoring of police activities. Citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic see reform in this area as a high priority, and MCC funding will assist in restructuring and reforming the Ministry of Interior to develop transparent hiring and vetting procedures, create an Internal Affairs Service to investigate police misconduct, and establish a Civilian Review Board as a check on the police.