Kazakhstan Justice Ministry says NCOC collection to continue after court review

September 9, 2026 at 09:13 AM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry denied reports that collection of funds from NCOC was halted, saying the consortium challenged a bailiff's actions. The Atyrau specialized administrative court requested enforcement case materials, temporarily suspending proceedings. The ministry said collection will resume once the court returns the materials.

Key Facts

NCOC challenged the actions of a state bailiff, prompting the Atyrau specialized administrative court to request enforcement case materials.
Enforcement proceedings are suspended under subparagraph 13 of Article 42 of the Law on Enforcement Proceedings and Status of Bailiffs while materials are with the court.
The Justice Ministry said collection of funds from NCOC will continue in accordance with the law after the court returns the materials.
NCOC is the operator of the Kashagan field and includes Shell, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, CNPC, and other international partners.

Ministry Clarification

Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry issued a statement on September 9, 2026, responding to media reports that enforcement proceedings against NCOC had been suspended. The ministry said the reports require clarification and that NCOC had challenged the actions of a state bailiff. As a result, the Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court of Atyrau Region requested the enforcement case materials. Under subparagraph 13 of Article 42 of the Law on Enforcement Proceedings and Status of Bailiffs, enforcement proceedings are suspended while materials are with the court until their return.

Enforcement Status

The ministry emphasized that the temporary pause does not mean the state has abandoned collection of funds from NCOC. It stated that work to collect funds from NCOC in favor of the state will continue in accordance with the law. Earlier reports had said Kazakhstan suspended enforcement proceedings to collect an environmental fine from NCOC. The long-running dispute between Kazakhstan and the Kashagan operator NCOC has moved to international arbitration.