Kazakhstan’s embassy in Paris has no information on Ablyazov’s arrest

    By E. Kosolapova
    Kazakhstan's Embassy in Paris does not have any information on the arrest of fugitive Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, an embassy spokesman told RIA Novosti.
    Earlier, media outlets reported, citing Ablyazov's lawyer that the former banker was arrested on Wednesday in the French city of Cannes. According to unconfirmed information, Ablyazov was arrested on Russia's request.
    Ablyazov is also wanted by Kazakhstan on fraud and embezzlement charges while he was heading BTA Bank. After the criminal investigation was launched in early 2009, Ablyazov fled to the UK claiming an asylum against political persecution.
    In May 2011, the British court refused to recognize claims that the case was politically motivated and upheld the bank's claims. In February, 2012 the UK High Court sentenced Mukhtar Ablyazov to 22 months of imprisonment for contempt of court. However, the sentence has not been carried out so far, because his whereabouts has not been established. Moreover, according to some Kazakh media outlets and officials, Ablyazov had a direct relationship to the mass riots in the city of Zhanaozen on December 16, 2011 when at least 14 people were killed, Trend reports.