Kyrgyz passport 'illegally issued' to fugitive Kazakh banker
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 28 June 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz passport 'illegally issued' to fugitive Kazakh banker, 28 June 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/51e79b7114.html [accessed 15 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 28, 2013
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Mukhtar Ablyazov, an outspoken critic of Kazakh authoritarian leader, fled Kazakhstan in 2009 after his BTA bank was nationalized.
BISHKEK – Kyrgyz authorities are investigating how a Kyrgyz passport was illegally issued under a fake name to fugitive Kazakh tycoon and government critic Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Kyrgyzstan's State Registration Service officials said on June 28 that all the materials regarding the case have been sent to the State Committee for National Security for investigation.
Ablyazov, 50, an outspoken critic of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, fled Kazakhstan for the European Union in 2009 after his BTA bank was nationalized.
Ablyazov is accused of embezzling $6 billion, which he denies.
Earlier this month, a Kazakh court handed prison terms to several people, including two former officials in Kazakhstan's western region of Atyrau, for illegally arranging travel documents for Ablyazov's relatives.
On June 1, Ablyazov's wife, Alma Shalabaeva, and daughter were deported from Italy to Kazakhstan on charges of holding a false passport.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
