Press release of the Prosecutor General's office of the Republic of Kazakhstan December 14, 2016 Astana

On December 9, 2016, the state Council of the French Republic (the highest administrative authority) overturned the decision of the Prime Minister of France to extradite Ablyazov to Russia at the extradition request of the Russian Federation and released him from arrest.

The Prosecutor General's office of the Russian Federation expressed its position on this issue in an official message.

We remind you that Ablyazov is accused by Kazakh law enforcement agencies of theft of property, legalization of criminal proceeds, illegal use of Bank funds, abuse of authority, creation and management of an organized criminal group.

Ablyazov and his accomplices stole more than 7.5 billion dollars.

The criminal case against Ablyazov consists of more than 160 episodes and is one of the most complex economic cases in the national investigative practice.

Each episode of this case contains information about theft or money laundering for hundreds of billions of tenge.

For example, under the leadership of Ablyazov, BTA Bank issued a loan to the Ablyazov-affiliated firm Granton in the amount of more than $ 1.2 billion. The collateral for this loan was a type of drilling rig that does not exist in the world. All the bail documents were forged. The loan has not yet been returned and, in fact, was spent by Ablyazov and his accomplices for their own needs.

Another company controlled by Ablyazov, Daniels trade Corp, received a loan of $ 52 million. As collateral, it issued chicken legs in the amount of 50 thousand tons. This is more than a thousand railway cars. Such a pledge has never actually existed, and the documents for it are forged. The loan was not refunded, and the money was transferred to offshore accounts.

All stolen money belongs either to individuals and legal entities serviced by the Bank, including their deposits, or is borrowed by BTA from foreign financial institutions.

The investigation of the criminal case is not finished, because Ablyazov and some of his accomplices escaped from justice.

In accordance with the requirements of criminal procedure legislation, the criminal prosecution of an accused person by law enforcement agencies must continue until they are brought to trial.

Therefore, the office of the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan will take all legal measures to detain the accused in any jurisdiction, complete the investigation, ensure a fair trial and provide compensation for damages.

For numerous crimes, Ablyazov and his accomplices are being prosecuted not only by Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, but also by a number of European States, including Ukraine and Switzerland, and in the UK, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

Press service

General Prosecutor's office of the Republic of Kazakhstan