The former chief of Kazakhstan's Committee of National Security (KNB) says the former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev "might" have been involved in the kidnapping of two high-ranking bankers in Kazakhstan.
Alnur Musaev, who has been living in Austria in self-imposed exile since 2007, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that he personally investigated the kidnapping of two top managers of Nur-Bank in Almaty and sent the results of his investigation to Kazakhstan in early July.
Aliev also stayed in Austria in 2007 after Kazakh authorities accused him of involvement in the kidnapping of the two bankers, who have disappeared.
Aliev told RFE/RL that all the accusations against him are politically motivated.
Last year, both Aliev and Musaev were tried in Kazakhstan in absentia and found guilty of involvement in the kidnapping and other crimes. Aliev was sentenced to 40 years in jail.
Musaev says Kazakh justice has strong evidence that Aliev was involved in the organization of the kidnapping. He added that his latest move and statements do not mean that he has made some kind of a deal with Kazakh authorities.
Meanwhile, Aliev has given documents to RFE/RL indicating that Kazakh authorities asked Austrian officials to postpone hearings into their request to extradite Musaev to Kazakhstan by three months.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
