500 billion tenge — this is the amount Kazakhstan has invested in digitalization in recent years. National projects, electronic documents, the “Digital Kazakhstan” program… But the key question remains open: who really manages this system? The answer is unexpected: not the government, ministries, but… a private company Documentolog.
This company has become part of almost all electronic document management processes — from the work of development funds to national companies. Every year it receives dozens of contracts, and the special status of a “trusted supplier” allows it to bypass tenders and directly conclude contracts with government agencies.
The Antimonopoly Agency states that for three years Documentolog has effectively blocked competitors, forcing businesses and government agencies to use only its paid gateway. The company claims: “We are a national product, we have invested billions and have the right to do so.”
The names of high-ranking officials are already being heard around the Documentolog company, affiliated structures and lawsuits are appearing. Competitors complain of pressure and sabotage, auditors record billion-dollar overpayments, and the parliament is forced to adopt amendments prohibiting such blockages.
Not only a huge budget is at stake, but also control over the entire system of the digital state. Documentolog has become a symbol of digitalization in Kazakhstan: big money, lobbying, conflicts of interest and the struggle for power over document flows. Today, the main question is whether the company will retain the status of a “national operator” or will the state decide to break the monopoly?
Investigation by journalists of the independent media Elmedia Kazakhstan.
