All the rights and freedoms of Shalabaeva, Ablyazov’s wife, met - MFA statement

We are aware that the Italian Republic has decided to annul the deportation of Alma Shalabayeva, who was deported at the request of Italian authorities to Kazakhstan together with her daughter on 31st May.

The decision on deportation is an internal matter for the Italian Republic. Foreign citizens deported by national governments are usually prohibited from returning to that country for a certain period of time. Since the Italian Government has annulled the decision to deport Ms Shalabayeva and her daughter, we believe this means they have now regained the right to visit the Italian Republic in the future.

In terms of Kazakh legislation, all rules and procedures pertaining to Alma Shalabayeva and her daughter's deportation back to her home country of Kazakhstan, including the issuance of a certificate of return by the consular authorities, have been duly followed.

Alma Shalabayeva and her daughter are currently residing with Shalabayeva's parents in Almaty. Ms Shalabayeva is not in detention or under house arrest. She is, however, currently under investigation in connection with a separate case involving illegally obtained Kazakh passports, which were issued to Mr Ablyazov and his relatives allegedly in exchange for bribes. Law enforcement agencies are in the process of verifying with their counterparts overseas whether Ms Shalabayeva ever used the illegally obtained Kazakh passport.

Ms Shalabayeva is considered a flight risk and is not allowed to leave the city of Almaty (which she voluntarily chose as the place of residence for the period of investigation) without permission from investigative authorities. All the rights and freedoms of Ms. Shalabayeva, as provided by Kazakhstani legislation and international law, are being fully respected and guaranteed by the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr Ablyazov is a fugitive who is on the run from justice in several countries. However, Ms Shalabayeva is not accused of Mr Ablyazov's crimes and will not be prosecuted for his actions.

The case against Mukhtar Ablyazov

Ablyazov has been on the run from Kazakhstani authorities since 2009 after BTA Bank - the bank he chaired - was found to have an estimated $15 billion hole in its accounts - money which he is believed to have embezzled.

In Kazakhstan, Ablyazov is currently facing criminal cases related to the fraud and misuse of BTA Bank funds, involvement in an organised criminal group and money laundering. An international arrest warrant was issued on 6th March 2009. Authorities in Russia and Ukraine have issued separate arrest warrants for related crimes. Authorities of the neighboring Kyrgyz Republic have also recently taken action against immigration officials who had issued an illegal Kyrgyz passport to Mr. Ablyazov and others in exchange for bribes.

BTA Bank has also pursued a civil court case in the UK, where Ablyazov had relocated, and recently won judgments in the High Court to recover $4 billion of assets he was proved to have misappropriated.

Ablyazov fled the UK after a British judge sentenced him to 22 months in prison for contempt of court for attempting to conceal the stolen assets and obstruct the investigation - a judgment upheld by the UK's Supreme Court on appeal.

Mr. Ablyazov remains on the run and we will continue to work with our international partners to progress investigations and bring him to justice.