Austria: A Hiding Place for Criminals

Hi,

I read an interesting article by the Agence France Press a few days ago that I wanted to post. Our friend that we've been following - Rakhat Aliyev - has been hiding out in Austria. Well, this coincides with a report that states our Austrian friends know that their country - Vienna in particular - is a safe haven for spies, political exiles and criminals.

According to the report:

"Aliyev, the former Kazakh ambassador to Austria, has been convicted in his home country of kidnapping and murder.

But he has always maintained his innocence and Vienna refused to extradite him in August 2007 on the grounds that he would not be given a fair trial at home. Officially at least, his current whereabouts are unknown."

That last part is ridiculous: "Whereabouts are unknown." It's as if to say the Austrian government is not responsible in any way for protecting a known criminal.

This type of non-extradition needs to be reexamined by those that cover international law. It's unfortunate that these people are protected. A known human trafficker, money launderer and convicted murderer can just find a home in Vienna.

People like this man need to be brought to justice.

Forbes on Aliyev Ordeal

I've had a nice Wednesday. I'm about to head out to a nice dinner, but I found this really interesting Forbes piece that I couldn't pass up posting pour toutes mes amis. How does a single individual - criminal - continue to complicate the progress of a nation that is hungry to join the first-world? Mind boggling.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/09/rakhat-aliyev-kazakhstan-opinions-contributors_0209_dmitry_sidorov_print.html

Commentary
Justice In Kazakhstan
Dmitry Sidorov, 02.09.09, 5:40 PM ET


Major-General Rakhat Aliyev is the former son-in-law of the president of Kazakhstan, former deputy director of the Kazakh National Security Committee and former Kazakh ambassador to Austria. These days, he is on trial in Vienna, where the Kazakh government has been seeking his extradition for three years on charges of abduction, torture and murder.

In his home country, Aliyev was sentenced twice in absentia to 20-year prison terms for corruption, kidnapping, organized criminal activity and abuse of office. In 2007, Austrian authorities decided against extraditing Aliyev to Kazakhstan. But they reopened the case in 2008, and Aliyev was arrested and released on bail of 1 million euros.

The 46-year-old Aliyev avers that the true cause of his persecution by Kazakhstan's authorities was his desire to run for the country's presidency in 2012. He has also threatened to reveal in court the secrets of the Kazakh ruling elite he learned during his many years as a close relative and associate of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many a rich man has fled the newly independent states for the European Union, United States and Israel. Escapees include Boris Berezovsky, onetime confidant of Vladimir Putin; Leonid Nevzlin, deputy chairman of the board of the Yukos oil company, and Pavlo Lazarenko, former Ukrainian prime minister. Their flight created serious complications in Moscow's and Kiev's relations with Washington, London and Jerusalem.

Each of these cases is unique. Berezovsky and Nevzlin were cleared from the accusations presented by Moscow by courts in Great Britain and Israel, while Pavlo Lazarenko is serving a prison sentence for embezzlement on the U.S. West Coast.

Rakhat Aliyev's case promises to be an ordeal for both Austria and the entire E.U. Kazakhstan is scheduled to become the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.

The E.U. is also trying to attract Central Asian oil and gas in an effort to end its energy dependence on Russia. Kazakhstan plays an important role in this geopolitical great game between Europe and Russia. Its resources, respectively, are approximately 30 billion barrels of oil and between 3.3 and 3.7 trillion cubic meters of gas, all of which Europe could use--for example, to fill the Nabucco or OMV pipelines.

At stake for the government in Vienna is more than an asylum case. Vienna faces a complex calculus of geopolitical and energy interests, while ensuring that justice is done--and seen.

The court in Vienna, like many other courts in the civilized world considering cases of citizens from the former Soviet Union, faces an arduous task in determining whether Rakhat Aliyev is a criminal. Numerous individuals who have arrived from Kazakhstan for the trial have already testified that he is. Others from the same country, like the former deputy director of the Kazakh National Security Committee (the internal secret service), now residents of Austria, will testify that he is not.

On Jan. 28, 2009, Armangul Kapasheva testified against Aliyev at a hearing in a Vienna court. She is the wife of Zholdas Timraliyev, a top executive at Kazakh Nurbank who was allegedly kidnapped by Aliyev, one of the major shareholders of the bank. In one of her early statements to the press, Kapasheva said "during a telephone conversation with me, my husband said that they stretched him out on a homemade rack while Aliyev himself beat him." Her husband's fate remains unknown. His colleague, Abilmazhin Gilinov, however, is alive and arrived in Vienna with Kapasheva to testify about being abducted by Aliyev as well.

For his part, Aliyev will surely accuse the Kazakh authorities of trying to kidnap him and his supporters in Austria. He was attacked in 2007, and in 2008, four armed men attempted to stuff Alnur Musayev, who once worked under Aliyev, into a car. However, the Kazakh authorities insist that it was Aliyev who staged the failed kidnappings.

The court may well take into account testimony from Canadian Adonis Derbas, Aliyev's former business partner. Derbas told a press conference in the Kazakh capital Astana in January 2009 that Aliyev has Islamist links. Unconfirmed reports connect Aliyev to Issam Salakh Khorani, named by various Web sites as an activist in the terrorist organization Hamas.

Then again, this is a second stab at testimony from Derbas, who recently announced that in 2007, Aliyev forced him to provide a false testimony in an attempt to avoid extradition to Kazakhstan.

The Aliyev trial is unlikely to be quick. On one side of the scales are grave allegations; on the other, the credibility of the Kazakh justice system Aliyev will face if he is found guilty and extradited.

The recent history of the West's relations with the USSR and successor countries has seen its share of cases in which extradition ended in persecution or death, while political asylum sheltered people with blood on their hands.

Amid the thorny legal issues and high political stakes, the Aliyev case reminds the West that it confronts a serious dilemma whenever it has to evaluate and verify information about dubious officials who flee authoritarian regimes with a malleable sense of justice.

Dmitry Sidorov is the bureau chief for Kommersant Publishing in Washington, D.C.

More on Rakhat Aliyev

I've been reading from various posts online about this former Son-In-Law of President Nazarbayev. I still don't understand how he is around in Austria. It seems obvious to anyone that has been in this side of the planet that he is paying the Austrian officials to keep him in hiding. Rakhat Aliyev is just about ready to say anything and do anything to take down the government of Kazakhstan. Shame on him.

These are legitimate sources. Check his Wikipedia page!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakhat_Aliyev

There's also a very revealing profile that was written in the Washington Times, a newspaper in the U.S. that is very concerned with national security issues. Check it out:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/06/suspect-finds-refuge-in-austria/

There are ton more stories on this guy if you just search for it.

My big issue is human rights and womens' rights. There are groups forming in Kazakhstan against this criminal, I've heard from my friends back home. People are organizing. He should be back and face his crimes.

Aliyev Revient!!!

Pour tous mes amis Francais, monsieur Rhakhat Aliyev revient. Une autre blog - http://kazakhstanscene.blogspot.com/ - a poste qu'il y a quelques interviews entre Aliyev et des journalists. Aliyev a cree http://rakhataliev.livejournal.com/. Visite avec plaisir!

In English, one of the rumors is that a man named in the interview - Alexander Mirtchev - had an affair with Dariga Nazarbayeva. She happens to be the President's daughter and ex-wife of Aliyev.

Bien sur he had an affair with her!!!! Why do you think he is randomly named in this "interview" along with world leaders? The only conspiracy theory here is that Aliyev wants revenge for being cuckolded. It's pretty clear to me.

Coup D'Etat in Kazakhstan

I thought this was an interesting thing I came across. It gives you some idea of people like Rakhat Aliyev that are trying to hold my country back from progress and growth. It's a shame that someone like this criminal is allowed to roam around - where ever he is - without justice.

Former secret services chiefs of Kazakhstan are convicted of preparation of coup d’etat (case of so called “Group 16”)

The websites and newspaper articles of Kazakhstan announce that in spring 2008 the military court of the country convicted its 16 citizens, including Rakhat Aliyev and Alnur Musayev of preparation of coup d’etat (so called “Group 16”).

The sentence concerning Rakhat Aliyev, Alnur Musayev, V.Koshlyak and two more people was passed in their absence, as they had run away from Kazakhstan and are still absconding in Vienna.

At the journalists’ briefing the prosecutor Kulzyia Kjukova and official representative of Prosecutor’s Office informed that, the Court of Kazakhstan found Rakhat Aliyev and Alnur Musayev guilty of abusing power and rank, grand larceny, creation and management of the organized criminal group, firearms and ammunition stealage, their illegal storage and transportation, illegal receipt and divulgence of state secrets, actions directed at forcible power seizure.

Former chief of secret service of Kazakhstan A.Musayev also was found guilty of treason in the form of espionage. The investigation adjudicated that deliberately abusing their ranks these people were conducting illegal activities aimed at enrichment and realization of power holding ambitions and forcible power seizure.

Aliyev and Musayev prepared a special group of loyal militants to seize the power forcibly. The militants were taught in Israel and Egypt for Aliyev’s money. In order not to arise suspicion, all the militants were employed as secret service officers of the Committee of the National Security, President’s Security Service, Financial police. Apart from official incomes, Aliyev personally paid $10000 and more to everyone. Such financial stimulation of the militants was directed to get them ready for any orders up to killing the people out of favor.

To supply the militants with arms, with the help of other members of the criminal group R.Aliyev and A.Musayev stole 864 units of absolutely new firearms and 57 123 units of different ammunitions. These arms and firearms were found in storing places in two regions of the country. To transfer these militants rapidly Aliyev acquired tenths of military trucks of high passsability.

Convicted organized systematic collection of discreditable materials, used for threats and blackmailing the representatives of big business to take away property and cash assets.

The court adjudicated that over the period of its activity the indicated above group under the guidance of R.Aliyev and A.Musayev collected the information, in compliance with the legislation of Kazakhstan it refers to state secrets.

They were interested in strategically important issues of the external and internal policy of the state. Firstly, the decisions on the important issues are in the process of adopting by government in the sphere of energy, military industry, oil exploration, the information on the issues of security and defence, the activity of police, central bodies of the authority, information about the schedule of meetings, domestic and foreign visits of the officials.

Secret information was being found using the positions of the members of the organized criminal group (“Group 16”). They were paid from 5 to 250 thousand US dollars for each information depending on the volume and the extent of its importance and privacy.

For illegal collection of information R.Aliyev and A.Musayev acquired several special systems for line and mobile calls intercepting. These special devices were installed in Almaty and Astana for illegal phone tapping of big businessmen and officials of the country.

The received information was being processed and sorted out daily. The information on a paper, CD or flash was taken off abroad. This information was kept in Beirut (Lebanon), where R.Aliyev’s sister and brother-in-law – Gulshat Aliyeva and Issam Horani live, as well as in the Aliyev’s place of work in Vienna. By the way, Issam Horani had earlier been engaged in oil exploration and with the help of R.Aliyev organized illegal entrance of the members of terrorist organizations “Kheezballa” and “Muslim brothers” to this country.

But the most horrible thing of all, Prosecutor’s Office stuffers told the journalists that to kill out of favor people from higher echelon of authority R.Aliyev and A.Musayev organized the preparation of the deadly poison. In 2001 being the chief of the Committee of the National Security Musayev organized illegal import of the samples of more than 1000 kinds of poison to the country. In May 2007 he tried to arrange production of the poison.

In 2001 abusing the rank R.Aliyev organized the collection of radioactive isotopes, affecting the body of the person they caused depression of all body systems up to the lethal death. In spring 2007 Aliyev acquired several special ball pens that shot poison and these things were imported illegally to Kazakhstan from Austria and given to Musayev A.A.

Reading this information you become horrified from the thing that these people (from “Group 16”), engaged with the preparation of poison and illegal spreading of radioactive materials are in safe Europe in the neighborhood of civilians of Vienna.

Bounjour from Paris!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to check in on this blog. I hope you will find my thoughts on my home country of Kazakhstan, womens' rights and political developments helpful and interesting.