Marat Akhmetzhanov

Marat Akhmetzhanov (Kazakh: Марат Мұратұлы Ахметжанов, Marat Mūratūly Ahmetjanov, born 22 December 1964) is a Kazakh politician, Minister of Internal Affairs (2022—2023). Akim of the Akmola Region.

Early life and education

Marat Akhmetzhanov was born in the settlement of Akchetau, Karaganda Region, on December 22, 1964. He served in the navy in 1983–1986. Akhmetzhanov graduated from the Law Department, Buketov State University (Karaganda) in 1991.

Career

Right after graduation, Marat Akhmetzhanov joined the City of Temirtau Prosecutor's Office as a trainee and later as an investigator. As he rose in rank, Akhmetzhanov held executive positions in the General Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In particular, he served as a senior investigator of major cases in the General Prosecutor's Office and a Head of Regional Investigators Unit. In 1996–1997, Akhmetzhanov served as the Head of Grave Felonies Unit of the State Investigation Committee, and later led the Investigation Division of the Military Investigation Department.

In 1998–2001, Akhmetzhanov served as deputy director of the Investigation Department and later as Deputy Chairman of the Judicial Decree Enforcement Committee under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He held positions of the Prosecutor of the Pavlodar Region and South Kazakhstan Region from 2003 until 2009. Later he was appointed Chairman of the Judicial Statistics and Special Records Committee of the General Prosecutor's Office and in 2012 Akhmetzhanov came to lead Kazakhstan's Anti-Corruption Agency.

He was appointed Kazakhstan's Minister of Internal Affairs on February 25, 2022, and relieved of that position on September 2, 2023, to become the akim of Akmola Region.