Muchtar Abelyasov

Muchtar Äbljasow in October 2019

Muchtar Äbljasow ( Kazakh Мұхтар Қабылұлы Әблязов , full name Muchtar Qybyluly Äbljasow , born May 16, 1963 in Wannowka , Kazakh SSR ) is a Kazakh politician , entrepreneur and manager . After holding important positions in politics and business in his home country , he fled his home country Kazakhstan in 2009 on allegations of embezzlement and organized crime and is now living in exile in France .

Career

Äbljasow was born a Soviet citizen on May 16, 1963 in the south of what is now Kazakhstan, the then Kazakh SSR . He began studying physics at Kirov State University in Alma-Ata and graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics Engineers (MEPHI) in 1986. He then went back to Kazakhstan and got a first job there at the Kazakh National University in Almaty. In the years before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Kazakhstan in 1991, Abelyasov traded in computers , and in 1992 he founded a private company to trade in fax machines, copiers and computers. He then entered the food marketing business and made a career there. In 1997 he was appointed President of the state-owned energy company Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) . From 1998 to 1999, Abelyasov was also Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry, but came into conflict with then President Nursultan Nazarbayev due to his market-oriented policy, which was based on privatization and free trade . In 1999 he was also appointed CEO of Air Kazakhstan , which had to file for bankruptcy in 2004.

Logo of the Turan Alem bank until 2008

Career at Bank Turan Alem

BTA Bank logo since 2008

In 1998, Äbljasow and some partners acquired shares in the Kazakh bank Turan Alem, which was then privatized. When he joined Bank Turan Alem, Äbljasov began his career as a banker, which shaped his future career. In 2001, Abelyasov, who was now known as an opponent of the regime, founded the Democratic Election for Kazakhstan party , thereby emphasizing his political ambitions. In 2002 he was arrested in Kazakhstan for abuse of office , but was released after a short time. As a result, Äbljasow left Kazakhstan for the time being and lived in Russia for two years . His return was facilitated by the death of the then chairman of the Turan Alem Bank, Yerzhan Tatishev. He died in 2004 when he was shot in the head while on a hunting trip . The well-known criminal Muratkhan Tokmadi was later convicted of the murder. In the underlying process, he testified that he had carried out the murder on behalf of Abelyasov. After Tatishev's murder, Abelyasov returned to Kazakhstan and built up his power in the Turan Alem bank. In 2005, Äbljasow became CEO of the bank and then went on an aggressive course of expansion and internationalization. In 2008 he renamed the Turan Alem bank to BTA Bank .

embezzlement

The allegation of embezzlement relates to the years 2005 to 2009, when Äbljasow was CEO of Bank Turan Alem and BTA Bank. During this time, he is said to have embezzled at least eight billion US dollars . This was done through a network of mailbox companies around the world, especially in so-called tax havens and in the countries of the former Soviet Union. During his tenure as CEO, Äbljasow granted loans totaling eight billion US dollars without collateral to letterbox companies that he controlled through anonymous holdings. This gave him control of the large sums that he had paid out from the Turan Alem bank, but which the bank never got back. This system included more than 1,000 letterbox companies that are now identified as being controlled by Abelyazov. Often sums of money were loaned out through several letterbox companies and transferred across countries in order to make it difficult to track the whereabouts of the Turan Alem loans. The hub in this global system was the London-based holding Eastbridge Capital , which was founded in 2005 and played a key role in the distribution of financial resources to letterbox companies around the world. In the context of the financial crisis and the difficulties of the bank, now known as BTA Bank , the Kazakh authorities examined the situation of the credit institution more closely and discovered considerable loopholes that had arisen as a result of Äbljasov's embezzlement.

Life in exile

In 2009 it became clear that the Kazakh law enforcement authorities were launching an investigation into Allyazov, whereupon he was forced to flee.

British exile

His escape from Kazakhstan in 2009 led Äbljasow to Great Britain, where he initially lived in London , where he owned several luxury properties. British law enforcement agencies also took action against Allyazov when the allegations against the Kazakh top manager became more specific. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison in Great Britain and wanted with an arrest warrant, but was still able to flee to France. There he hid in the south of France and constantly moved between several luxury properties.

Arrested in France

Red Notice against Abelyazov

The French authorities were able to locate Äblyazov's whereabouts through Äbljasov's former lover and business partner Yelena Tyshchenko, who agreed to work with the public prosecutor. After two weeks of observation , the site was stormed on July 31, 2013 and Äbljasow was arrested. This also happened on the basis of a so-called Red Notice against Abelyazov by Interpol , which is similar to an international arrest warrant. He spent the next three years in French custody, mainly in Fleury-Mérogis prison. During this time, Abelyasov repeatedly stressed that the allegations against him were untrue and that the Kazakh government had brought against him for political reasons. In January 2014, the competent court approved a request for extradition from Russia, where Äblyazov was wanted for fraud and embezzlement worth US $ 4.5 billion. The extradition order was signed by then French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , but shortly thereafter declared null and void by the Conseil d'État . The reason for the decision was the political background of the extradition. The UN special rapporteur on torture , Nils Melzer , had previously warned against extradition to Russia. The decision was received with surprise and on the part of the Kazakh authorities and the new managers at BTA Bank with disappointment. On December 9, 2016, Allyazov was released from prison more than three years after his arrest.

After his release

Äbljasow has lived in France with his family since his release. While in exile in France, he tried to influence politics in his home country Kazakhstan and to weaken the government's support among the population. In addition, to this day he denounces the alleged political persecution of his person.

Engagement in the Kazakh opposition

From his French exile, Äbljasow also tried to influence Kazakh politics. In his home country he was now considered an enemy of the elite around long-time President Nazarbayev. With his Democratic Election for Kazakhstan party, which was founded in 2001 , Abelyasov has a political mouthpiece in Kazakh politics, although the party is of little importance today and is described by the government as an extremist party. He also called for unauthorized demonstrations against the government in Kazakhstan and led a large-scale Internet campaign against President Nazarbayev and his supporters. In fact, his political influence in Kazakhstan is to be assessed as rather low, among other things because Ablyasov is also a controversial figure within the opposition. In Kazakhstan he is accused by circles loyal to the government that his political engagement is much more a defense strategy, since it enables him to portray himself as a political persecuted. In a video message on November 6, 2019, Abelyasov described activists working in Kazakhstan as liars because they are supported by the government in order to create the impression of freedom of expression and tolerance .

Legal processing

The legal processing of the far-reaching machinations of Muchtar Äbljasow has not yet been completed. Lawsuits and investigations are still ongoing against Äblyazov's partner. According to the current state of the investigation, the total volume of embezzlement amounts to more than US $ 10 billion, making the Abelyazov case one of the biggest embezzlement scandals of all time.

Investigation in Kazakhstan

In his home country Kazakhstan, Abelyazov is a convicted criminal. He is accused of embezzling billions of dollars as well as ordering the murder of the former CEO of Bank Turan Alem, Yerzhan Tatishev. Due to the failure of an extradition of Äbljasov from France, the legal efforts of the Kazakh side are limited to lawsuits abroad, which are being pursued in particular by the BTA Bank in order to recover part of the lost funds.

UK investigation

In August 2018, Ilyas Khrapunov was found guilty by the High Court of England and Wales in connection with the embezzlement and fraud allegations outlined above for helping Äblyazov embezzle US $ 6 billion. There are also efforts to get back the misappropriated funds. After lengthy legal disputes, four luxury properties owned by Äbljasow in the London area were sold and the proceeds from the sale were transferred to the Kazakh BTA Bank.

Investigations in the United States

The enormous scope of the embezzlement of Abelyazov is also evident in investigations in the United States. Here business relationships between Äbljasow and US President Donald Trump were the subject of research by special investigator Robert Mueller . Among other things, it was about an agreement between the Trump Organization and the Silk Road Group, which at the time worked closely with BTA Bank, to build two luxury hotels in Georgia . The collaboration between the Bayrock Group and the Trump Organization to implement several construction projects in the United States is also being examined. Äbljasow had influence on the Bayrock Group through relatives, and emails from Trump's partner Felix Sater to Michael Cohen confirm a desired collaboration with Putin's team in the implementation of a hotel project for the Trump Organization and the Bayrock Group in Moscow. In connection with this hotel construction project in Moscow , BTA Bank filed a lawsuit in 2019 for money laundering against those responsible for the project. The allegation is that Muchtar Äbljasow's partners at Bayrock laundered stolen money from Kazakhstan through construction projects.

Investigations in Spain

The Spanish judiciary also dealt with the Abelyasov case. Among other things, against Äbljasov's former bodyguard Alexander Pavlov was investigated in Spain. Today he still lives in freedom. During the investigation, the Spanish Supreme Court described the network of Äblyazov as an organized criminal group that would have stolen the bank's money and thus the savers through fraudulent loans.

reception

Due to the enormous dimensions of the Muchtar Äbljasow scandal, it attracted wide and international media coverage. In addition, the British author Gary Cartwright published a book about the career of Äbljasow entitled Wanted Man: The story of Mukhtar Ablyazov (German: Gesuchter Mann: Die Geschichte von Muchtar Äbljasow).

Web links

• The Ablyazov Affair: 'Fraud on an Epic Scale' , February 23, 2018 in The Diplomat (accessed December 29, 2019)
• Mukhtar Ablyazov: from criminal to opposition's democratic leader? , March 22, 2018 in The Diplomat Spain (accessed December 29, 2019)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Biography. Retrieved December 27, 2019 . 
2. ^ The "full story" of Mukhtar Ablyazov. In: EU Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2019, December 29, 2019 (UK English). 
3. ↑ The Ablyazov Affair: 'Fraud on to Epic Scale'. Retrieved December 29, 2019 (American English). 
4. ↑ Profiles: Mukhtar Ablyazov . January 9, 2014 ( bbc.com [accessed December 28, 2019]).
5. ↑ dissident Kazakh oligarch Ablyazov arrested on the French Riviera, sources say | The Star. Retrieved December 29, 2019 . 
6. ↑ VP / HR - Extradition of Kazakh opposition activist Mukhtar Ablyazov. Retrieved December 28, 2019 . 
7. ^ Agence France-Presse: France blocks extradition of Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia . In: The Telegraph . December 10, 2016, ISSN  0307-1235 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed December 28, 2019]).
8. ↑ The rise and fall of “New Kazakhstan” - the failure of an opposition movement. In: Novastan German. December 20, 2019, accessed December 27, 2019 (German). 
9. ^ Prosecutor Demands Life Sentence For Kazakh Ex-Banker Ablyazov. Retrieved December 29, 2019 . 
10. ↑ Bloomberg - Are you a robot? Retrieved December 29, 2019 . 
11. ↑ Wanted Man - The story of Mukhtar Ablyazov | Eupolitical Report. April 4, 2019, Retrieved December 29, 2019 (American English).