Kazakhstan requests Ablyazov's extradition from France

Kazakhstan General Prosecutor’s Office has sent a request to the French authorities asking for Mukhtar Ablyazov to be extradited to Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the Office’s official representative Nurdaulet Suindikov. “On August 2 Kazakhstan General Prosecutor’s Office has sent a request to France asking for extradition of Ablyazov,” Suindikov said. The General Prosecutor’s Office “will do all the legal work to ensure the extradition” to Kazakhstan, he stressed. “This issue is under close supervision of the General Prosecutor’s Office. Interpol’s national bureau in Kazakhstan has provided a confirmation to their French colleagues that Ablyazov was on the wanted list,” Suindikov added. Mukhtar Ablyazov was arrested on July 31 not far from Cannes under the extradition request from Ukraine. The Aix-en-Provence court decided to leave Mukhtar Ablyazov in custody until the decision on his extradition is made. The extradition is awaited by Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine as Ablyazov is wanted in all of these countries for major fraud. Kazakhstan has no extradition agreement with France and extradition to Russia may face some limitations. That’s why Ablyazov will most likely be extradited to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called the authorities in France to make sure that Mukhtar Ablyazov gets a fair extradition process and that he is not sent to any country that may return him to Kazakhstan. By Baubek Konyrov