French court closes case against Kazakh opposition leader Ablyazov – AFP

France terminated the trial against the Kazakh opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov on breach of trust and money laundering. Earlier, he declared himself the leader of the protests in Kazakhstan.

The termination of the process is reported by Agence France-Presse, citing its sources. The relevant decision was taken by the Court of Appeal of Paris on the basis of the statute of limitations.

According to Ablyazov’s lawyer Karim Beiluni, this was a big victory for the former banker and his family.

At the same time, the agency notes that BTA Bank’s lawyers filed a cassation appeal, so the decision is not final.

Note that in Kazakhstan, Ablyazov was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment on charges of organizing the murder of Yerzhan Tatyshev, the head of BankTuranAlem JSC, and he was also sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for “embezzlement and the creation of a criminal community.”