Rakhat Aliyev
| Rakhat Aliyev | |
|---|---|
Aliyev in April 2007
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| Kazakhstan Ambassador to Austria, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia | |
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In office 21 June 2002 – July 2005 |
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| Kazakhstan Ambassador to Austria | |
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In office 9 February 2007 – 26 May 2007 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rakhat Mukhtaruly Aliyev Рахат Мұхтарұлы Әлиев 10 December 1962 Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, USSR |
| Died | 24 February 2015 (aged 52) Vienna, Austria |
| Cause of death | hanging |
| Nationality | Kazakhstan |
| Spouse(s) |
Dariga Nazarbayeva (d. 2007) Elnara Shorazova (m. 2007) |
| Children | three children (with Nazarbayeva) Nurali Rakhatovich (b. 1985) Aisultan Rakhatovich (b. 1990) Venera Rakhatovna (b. 2000) |
| Education | law degree, 1997; Ph.D economics, 2005 |
| Occupation | diplomat, politician, businessman |
| Known for | arrests for murder, kidnapping, money laundering |
Rakhat Mukhtaruly Aliyev (Kazakh: Рахат Мұхтарұлы Әлиев; 10 December 1962 – 24 February 2015) was a senior official of the government of Kazakhstan who died in an Austrian prison awaiting trial on charges of murder. His trial was planned to start in Vienna in first half of year 2015. Austrian legal circles were giving much attention to this high-profile criminal case in which one former diplomat is facing murder charges. He was chief of Kazakhstan's tax police, deputy chief of the KNB state security service (Kazakhstan's successor to the Soviet KGB), ambassador to Austria, and first vice foreign minister. While serving in those government posts, Aliyev amassed a fortune in the banking, oil refining, news media, telecommunications, and agricultural commodities sectors. He was born in Almaty.
In February 2007, he was appointed to his second tour as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Austria and to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, before being relieved of his post and losing his diplomatic immunity.
Until June 2007, Aliyev was married to Dariga Nazarbayeva, the eldest daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
After hiding in Malta to avoid an Interpol warrant for his arrest, and attempting to gain Cypriot citizenship, Aliyev was taken into custody in June 2014 by Austrian authorities on charges that include kidnapping and murder. He was jailed at the Josefstadt prison pending trial, and was placed under watch as a suicide risk.
Aliyev, who portrayed himself as a dissident after falling out with Kazakhstan's leadership, said that he was not guilty and the charges against him were politically motivated.
Aliyev's money was allegedly fed into two offshore companies, A.V. Maximus SA and Argocom Ltd, both based in the British Virgin Islands. From here, the money went into A.V. Maximus Holding AG, their parent company. Reportedly, A.V Maximus SA’s British Virgin Island’s affiliate received €24.8 million and USD$91.4 million, while Agrocom received €15.6 million. The money was the directed into Armoreal Trading GmbH and S.T.A.R.T Management consulting GmbH, among other subsidiaries. Loans between these subsidiaries were then sent to Metallwerke Bender Rhineland, some of it via ITR Information Technology GmbH. Metallwerke Bender Rhineland (MBR) then paid it back through Armoreal trading, ultimately going to A.V. Maximus SA. Money was returned to A.V. Maximus SA as a return on investments, which enabled the money to be legally wired to A&P Power Ltd via A.V. Maximus Holding AG. A&A Poweris owned by A&P Power Holdings Ltd, which is housed in Nevis.
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