Rakhat Aliev (Public domain)
ASTANA, May 23, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry said today that a criminal investigation has started into allegations that Rakhat Aliev, the son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbaev, kidnapped a bank official, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported.
Relatives of two officials from Nurbank told RFE/RL earlier this year that Aliev had kidnapped the two officials and beat them to force them to sell the building housing the bank's headquarters.
Aliev was relieved of his post of first deputy foreign minister and made ambassador to Austria after allegations surfaced about the abduction and beatings.
RFE/RL Central Asia Report
RFE/RL Central Asia Report
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