Tag: BTA Bank

Businessman Iskander Yerimbetov has become another victim of the criminal case against the Kazakhstani opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov. Yerimbetov is the brother of Botagoz Jardemalie, Ablyazov’s lawyer who has been granted political asylum in Belgium.

On 24 July 2017, a former BTA Bank employee, Yerzhan Kadesov was extradited from Hungary to Kazakhstan. The information was announced by the Anti-Corruption Agency in Kazakhstan on 10 August 2017.

The extradition of Yerzhan Kadesov – how it is being carried out

Yerzhan Kadesov is a former employee of BTA Bank; currently, he is facing extradition from Hungary. Mr. Kadesov is accused within the framework of the criminal case, carried out against the Kazakhstani opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov (the case of BTA Bank).

Members of the EP Mrs Julie Ward, Mrs Marju Lauristin, Mr Tomáš Zdechovský and Mr Tunne Kelam have addressed in a joint letter the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) and Secretary General of Interpol concerning the abuse of international arrest warrants by Kazakhstani authorities.

Zhanbolat Mamay refused to give ‘self-incriminating testimony’ on the case of BTA Bank. After that he was beaten in detention centre and was threatened with reprisal. Zhanbolat Mamay has become yet another victim of the criminal case against the opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov.

On February 11, 2017, chief editor of the opposition newspaper ‘Tribuna’, Zhanbolat Mamay, was arrested. The Kazakhstani authorities have labelled him a ‘member of Mukhtar Ablyazov’s criminal group’. The charges against the journalist are based on the testimony of the refugee Zhaksylyk Zharimbetov,.

France recognised the political nature of the prosecution of Mukhtar Ablyazov, a longtime opponent of Nursultan Nazarbayev. The need to obtain ‘additional testimonies’ against Ablyazov led to the intensification of a ‘hunt’ for former top managers of BTA Bank.

Kazakhstan exerts illegal and political influence on Ukraine and Russia in the framework of the criminal case against Mukhtar Ablyazov and Tatiana Paraskevich. The Czech Republic refused to extradite Paraskevich, however, Ukraine and Russia re-submitted similar requests for her extradition.

Representatives of the Foundation follow and attend the most important sessions and meetings of the international organizations and institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg, Vienna and Geneva.

We, the representatives of Russian human rights organisations, would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Kazakh opposition politician and political refugee Mukhtar Ablyazov is currently facing extradition from France to Russia.

The participant in high-profile corruption scandals Vladimir Guzyr prepared a statement on the ‘validity’ and ‘legality’ of the request for Syrym Shalabayev’s extradition.

French media outlet Mediapart, founded by a former Le Monde editor, Edwy Plenel, has published an article on the case of Mukhtar Ablyazov. Mediapart, famous for its investigative journalism, described how Kazakhstan had influenced the legal proceedings in France.

In line with an agreement made between Putin and Nazarbayev, investigators from the ‘Magnitsky List’ and representatives of Kazakhstan demanded that Paraskevich and Trofimov sign incriminating testimonies against opposition politician, Ablyazov.

Syrym Shalabayev, a relative of the Kazakh opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, is accused in the criminal case concerning the ‘embezzlement of funds of BTA Bank’. Human rights organisations have underlined the political context of the case.