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New York Southern District Court Federal Judge Alison J. Nathan dismissed objections filed by oligarchs Mukhtar Abliazov and Ilyas Khrapunov, accused of theft and embezzlement. The latter were also sanctioned during the trial initiated by the claim of the Kazakh bank BTA. This is one of the many twists and turns of a procedure initiated 5 years ago in the United States. A trial before a New York jury is due to take place next February.
« One of the biggest scam lawsuits«
It is the American part of a sprawling affair with multiple ramifications which targets two Kazakh oligarchs, Moukhtar Abliazov and Ilyas Khrapunov, suspected of theft and money laundering to the detriment of the BTA bank. Ilyas Khrapunov, established in Switzerland since 1998, is the son of Viktor Khrapunov, the former mayor of the city of Almaty, former capital of Kazakhstan, and accused by the Kazakh regime for having contributed to whitewashing part of the millions of Swiss francs embezzled by his parents. He was the subject of an investigation by the Geneva justice and was ordered by the High Court of London to pay 571 million dollars in damages and interest to BTA.
For his part, Moukhtar Abliazov, the father-in-law of Ilyas Khrapunov, exiled in France since 2013, would be guilty of having embezzled nearly 6 billion dollars in the eyes of the british justice in what the Times qualifies as ” one of the biggest scam lawsuits ever “. The High Court of Justice ordered the ex-banker to pay $ 4.6 billion in damages to the prejudice of the BTA bank. Mukhtar Abliazov was also sentenced to 22 months in prison for “contempt of court”. Also targeted by the French justice since October 7, 2020, he is indicted for ” aggravated breach of trust ” and ” aggravated bleaching ».
American jury for a trial scheduled for February 2022
Latest twist to date, a New York court has just imposed sanctions on Abliazov and the Khrapunov clan as part of the trial initiated by the claim of BTA and the city of Almaty. The objections of the oligarchs were also rejected by the US federal judge of the Southern District Court in New York. Matthew L. Schwartz, lawyer and partner of the firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, believes in particular that Moukhtar Abliazov and the Khrapunov clan lied and concealed a number of documents to ensure their back.
« Two US federal judges have now recognized the obvious, says lawyer Matthew L. Schwartz. Abliazov and his accomplices hid evidence, destroyed documents, lied under oath, and obstructed BTA and Almaty’s efforts to recover the billions of dollars stolen from them. Regardless of their attempts to cover up the truth, BTA and Almaty are determined to hold Abliazov and his accomplices accountable for their crimes. We look forward to presenting the evidence to a New York jury at trial next year and are confident that, in the end, investigators will agree with us. ».
Judge Alison J. Nathan’s ruling also upheld various previous decisions of US Judge Catherine H. Parker, who also imposed sanctions on Mukhtar Abliazov and Ilyas Khrapunov. The judge Alison J. Nathan is known for having presided over the bail hearings of Ghislaine Maxwell, accomplice and ex-companion of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, among other things in July and December 2020.
The trial of Mukhtar Abliazov and the Khrapunov clan is due to take place before a New York jury in February 2022. Abliazov is also wanted by Russia and Ukraine on suspicion of embezzlement.
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