ALMATY -- An Almaty court has ruled that accusations of embezzlement against a son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev are untrue, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
Nazarbaev son-in-law Timur Kulibaev -- the vice president of the state financial company Samruk-Qazyna -- had filed a lawsuit against fugitive businessman Mukhtar Ablyazov demanding that he retract his accusations as groundless.
Ablyazov, the former head of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank, fled the country last year after an official investigation was made into his activities. He now lives in Britain.
In January, Ablyazov posted documents on the Internet that he claimed prove that Kulibaev had embezzled millions of dollars from the state while heading Kazakhstan's KazMunayGaz oil and gas corporation.
Kulibaev and his lawyers said the accusations were untrue and filed the lawsuit against Ablyazov.
The court's decision legalized Kulibaev's position. It is not clear whether Kulibaev plans further legal action to demand compensation from Ablyazov.
Neither Kulibaev nor Ablyazov was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Nazarbaev son-in-law Timur Kulibaev -- the vice president of the state financial company Samruk-Qazyna -- had filed a lawsuit against fugitive businessman Mukhtar Ablyazov demanding that he retract his accusations as groundless.
Ablyazov, the former head of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank, fled the country last year after an official investigation was made into his activities. He now lives in Britain.
In January, Ablyazov posted documents on the Internet that he claimed prove that Kulibaev had embezzled millions of dollars from the state while heading Kazakhstan's KazMunayGaz oil and gas corporation.
Kulibaev and his lawyers said the accusations were untrue and filed the lawsuit against Ablyazov.
The court's decision legalized Kulibaev's position. It is not clear whether Kulibaev plans further legal action to demand compensation from Ablyazov.
Neither Kulibaev nor Ablyazov was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
