Kazakhstan and Laos are taking steps to strengthen cooperation in the fight against illicit financial activity, with their prosecutors signing a new agreement on asset recovery.

Kazakh Prosecutor General Berik Assylov and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Laos Livong Laoly signed a memorandum of cooperation in Astana on September 3, according to Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

The agreement aims to expand cooperation between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies, including the exchange of information and experience in tracking, recovering and returning stolen assets.

The memorandum also covers cooperation in criminal cases under international agreements and national legislation, as well as consultations, the exchange of best practices and professional training for prosecutors.

Closer international cooperation will help the two countries identify, trace and repatriate illicit funds more effectively, while making it harder for criminal proceeds to be transferred or concealed abroad.

The agreement comes as Kazakhstan continues to strengthen international partnerships in asset recovery. Recently, the country allocated more than KZT617 billion in recovered assets to 500 regional infrastructure projects, highlighting the growing role of recovered funds in supporting public development.