Rakhat Aliyev

Rakhat Aliyev
Aliyev in 2007
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria
In office
21 June 2002 – 9 July 2005
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded bySaginbek Tursunov
Succeeded byDulat Kuanyshev
In office
9 February 2007 – 26 May 2007
Preceded byDulat Kuanyshev
Succeeded byKairat Abdrakhmanov
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Macedonia
In office
21 June 2002 – 9 July 2005
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byRashid Ibraev (2007)
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Croatia
In office
21 June 2002 – 9 July 2005
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byDulat Kuanyshev
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Serbia and Montenegro
In office
21 June 2002 – 9 July 2005
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byRashid Ibraev (2007)
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Slovenia
In office
21 June 2002 – 9 July 2005
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byDulat Kuanyshev
Personal details
Born
Rakhat Mukhtaruly Aliyev
Рахат Мұхтарұлы Әлиев

(1961-12-10)10 December 1961
Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, USSR[1]
Died24 February 2015(2015-02-24) (aged 53)
Vienna, Austria
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
NationalityKazakhstani
Spouse(s)Dariga Nazarbayeva (m.1983, divorced 2007)
Elnara Shorazova (m. 2007)
ChildrenNurali (born 1985), Aisultan (1990-2020) and Venera (born 2001)[1]
Educationlaw degree, 1997; Ph.D economics, 2005
OccupationDiplomat, politician, businessman
Known forArrests for murder, kidnapping, money laundering

Rakhat Mukhtaruly Aliyev (Kazakh: Рахат Мұхтарұлы Әлиев, Rahat Mūhtarūly Äliev; 10 December 1961 – 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.[2] Austrian legal circles were giving much attention to this high-profile criminal case in which a former diplomat was facing murder charges.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

Until June 2007, Aliyev was married to Dariga Nazarbayeva, the eldest daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.[6][7]

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.[8] He was jailed at the Josefstadt prison pending trial, and was placed under watch as a suicide risk.[9][10]

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.[11]

  1. ^ a b "Алиев Рахат Мухтарович (персональная справка)" (in Russian). Zakon.kz. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  2. ^ Peyerl, Ricardo; Schreiber, Dominik (2015-02-24). "Die letzten Stunden des Rakhat Aliyev". kurier.at (in German). Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  3. ^ "Former Kazakh Diplomat Aliyev Arrested in Vienna" Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, Austrian Independent, 6 June 2014
  4. ^ "Kazakhstan - Corruption", GlobalSecurity.org.
  5. ^ "Kazakh Exile Rakhat Aliyev Applies for Cypriot Citizenship", Malta Times, 24 December 2013
  6. ^ Eckel, Mike (25 March 2021). "British Inquest Says Nazarbaev's Grandson Died Of Natural Causes, Cocaine Addiction". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  7. ^ "Timeline: Rakhat Aliev's Fall From Grace". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  8. ^ "Former Kazakh diplomat Rakhat Aliyev arrested in Vienna - General News - Austrian Times Online News - English Newspaper". Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2014-07-03. Austrian Times, 6 June 2014
  9. ^ "'Murderer' Ambassador Targeted in Prison" The Local, Vienna, Austria, 1 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Kazakh exile Rakhat Aliyev's wife accuses Malta of human rights breach". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  11. ^ "Austria Arrests Top Kazakh Dissident Rakhat Aliyev", BBC, 6 June 2014

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