Kazakhstan to seek Mukhtar Ablyazov's extradition from France: Prosecutor General's Office

Kazakhstan will seek to extradite former head of the Kazakh BTA Bank Mukhtar Ablyazov, Nurdaulet Suindikov, the official spokesperson for Kazakh Prosecutor General's Office, confirmed Tuesday at a press briefing.

In his words, unlike Russia and Ukraine Kazakhstan has no agreement on extradition with the European Union. However, extradition of fugitives on a reciprocal basis is currently gaining momentum. Moreover, Kazakhstan hopes that France will take into account Ablyazov's citizenship and location of his crimes.

"The extradition of a fugitive suspected in crimes is regulated by inner laws of the country where the latter finds shelter and by international agreements. France, where Ablyazov has recently been arrested, Russia and Ukraine are the members of the European Convention on Extradition. At the present time the French authorities consider a request on Ablyazov's extradition from Ukraine. Extradition to both Ukraine and Russia is possible if the court rules this out," said N. Suindikov.

The number of fugitives extradited to Kazakhstan on a reciprocal basis is growing and that shows the credibility of the Kazakh legal system and law-enforcement agencies.