Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/741600
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2016 19 MATTHEW VELLA THE former head of Kazakhstan's secret service, Rakhat Aliyev, has been dead since February 2015 but in Malta, his family's drama is still playing out at the Constitutional Court where they are challenging a freeze on his assets. The Constitutional Court will have another hearing on 28 Oc- tober to decide whether Malta should provide Kazakh authorities legal assistance in prosecuting Ali- yev's widow, Elnara Shorazova. Back in August, the freezing or- der was extended for another six months on the companies Olym- pia Yachting Limited, Aurelius Holdings, EDS Holdings, Crimson Limited, various trusts and two media companies which Aliyev had hoped would become plat- forms for opposition propaganda in Kazakhstan. Aliyev was stripped of his diplo- matic immunity while serving as Kazakhstan's ambassador to the OSCE in Vienna in 2008, when he was found guilty in absentia by a Kazakh court of the murder of two Nurbank bank managers. But Austria refused extradition be- cause of the former Soviet repub- lic's human rights record – Aliyev was also forcibly divorced from his wife Dariga, the daughter of Ka- zakhstan dictator Nursultan Naz- arbayev, in the process. Aliyev was also a vocal critic of Nazarbayev, and in 2010 fled to Malta when the Viennese prosecu- tor opened an investigation into the murder allegations. In Malta, Elnara Shorazova has insisted in court that Kazakh se- cret agents monitored the family's every move and at one point the family even filed a police report after the brakes of their car were wilfully damaged. Serik Medetbekov, a director of the Kazakhstani opposition based in their foreign office in Dresden, Germany, said it was important that Malta extends its freeze on Aliyev's assets. "As a victim of Ali- yev's crimes, having lost my busi- nesses to him, I find it outrageous that his widow has unimpeded access to his funds, bankrolling a lavish lifestyle in Vienna. We com- mend the Maltese authorities for their decision to freeze Aliyev's assets and urge their counterparts elsewhere – including Cyprus, where Shorazova is known to have large bank accounts – to do the same." Aliyev and his family attempted to relocate in Cyprus in 2013 but a bid for citizenship was prevented by campaigners who represent al- leged victims of his, who filed an appeal with the Cypriot govern- ment to refuse him residency. In June 2014 he turned himself in to the Austrian authorities, where he was held in custody, before be- ing found hanged inside his prison cell in February 2015. His family insists he was murdered by agents from Kazakhstan but an Austrian court has ruled that the death was suicide. Nazarbayev, 76, who has ruled the central Asian energy producer since 1989, has now appointed his daughter Dariga to the Senate, sparking speculation that she may be in line to succeed him. Dariga Nazarbayeva's move to senator from deputy prime min- ister brings her closer to the suc- cession set out in the Kazakh constitution, which states that the chairman of the senate becomes head of state if the president dies or leaves office early. News my ambition as Chef Patron Fund my business. Choose the freshest ingredients. Wow my customers. BANIF BUSINESS ACCELERATE MY TRUSTED PARTNER IN BUSINESS BANKING The SME Transactions benefit from support from the European Union pursuant to the SME Initiative, with funding by the European Union under the ERDF and Horizon 2020 and by the European Investment Fund and the European Investment Bank. SME Initiative 2014-2020 "Stimulating private sector investment for economic growth" Financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund Terms and conditions apply. Loans are subject to the Bank's lending criteria. The Bank reserves the right to withdraw the product from the market at its own discretion. Banif Bank (Malta) plc is a credit institution licensed to undertake the business of banking by the MFSA in terms of the Banking Act 1994. Registered in Malta C41030 - 203, Level 2, Rue D' Argens, Gzira, GZR 1368. Banif Business Accelerate offers me the possibility of financing my business with minimal security and advantageous terms. Talk to us today. Aliyev drama still playing out in Malta Rakhat Aliyev was found hanged in his prison cell in February last year Aliyev was stripped of his diplomatic immunity while serving as Kazakhstan's ambassador to the OSCE