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Ablyazov in sought by Russia in connection with embezzlement charges that involved BTA bank and a Russian company. Ukraine is seeking him on charges stemming from alleged embezzlement of funds from a local branch of the BTA bank. In a statement on his Facebook page, Madiyar Ablyazov, the former banker's son, said he feared what would happen if his father were deported to Kazakhstan. "We beg the French authorities not to grant Kazakhstan our father. He is a man of honor, who has been fighting all his life, and sacrificed so much, for freedom and democracy in Kazakhstan," the younger Ablyazov wrote. "We are afraid for his life." Efforts to contact him directly were not immediately successful. Ablyazov is wanted by Kazakhstan authorities on charges of siphoning off billions of dollars from BTA Bank, which is based in the country's business capital, Almaty. A British court last year upheld a 22-month prison sentence imposed on Ablyazov for contempt of court for breaching an asset-freezing order. Ablyazov denies wrongdoing and says the allegations are politically motivated.
[Associated
Press;
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