Ukraine Arrests Late Uzbek President's Relative

Akbarali Abdullaev

Ukraine has arrested a relative of Uzbekistan's late President Islam Karimov who is wanted by Tashkent for the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars.

An official at Kyiv’s Solomyanka District Court told RFE/RL on January 20 that it had ordered the arrest of an Uzbek national identified as 33-year-old Akbarali Abdullaev.

The official said an Uzbek and Dominican passport were in Abdullaev's possession when he was detained earlier this week at Kyiv's Zhulyany international airport.

His possible extradition to Uzbekistan is pending.

Abdullaev, who is a nephew of Karimov's widow Tatyana Karimova, was charged in Tashkent with embezzlement and financial fraud in 2014.

It is not clear how and when he left Uzbekistan.