MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) – A prominent Russian lawyer who earlier defended members of feminist punk group Pussy Riot will engage in French litigation to oppose the extradition of an avowed opponent of the Kazakh government.
“Currently, I’m defending Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is in a French jail at the moment. His extradition is sought by Russia, Ukraine and, eventually, Kazakhstan,” lawyer Mark Feygin tweeted on Monday.
Ablyazov, who is suspected of crimes ranging from embezzlement to money laundering, was arrested in France in July and stands accused of embezzling $5 billion in Russia and $400 million in Ukraine.
A French court in January approved extradition requests from Russia and Ukraine, but said Russia’s application should take priority. Kazakhstan has no extradition treaty with France.
The fugitive former chairman of bank BTA and his supporters maintain that the charges against him are politically motivated, as he is considered a rival to Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
“I think that Ablyazov is a political opponent of the incumbent president, and this is the reason for his prosecution,” Feygin said. “I will defend him as a businessman who is being persecuted for political reasons, not as an individual accused of a crime.”
