Kazakh court jails nuclear executive to 14 years in jail on embezzlement, corruption charges
By APFriday, March 12, 2010
Kazakh court jails nuclear executive for 14 years
ALMATY, Kazakhstan — The lawyer for a former head of Kazkahstan’s state nuclear energy company says his client has been sentenced to 14 years in jail on charges of embezzlement and corruption.
Lawyer Nurlan Bisekeyev said Mukhtar Dzhakishev was sentenced Friday by a court in the capital, Astana.
The verdict is likely to unnerve foreign investors, who view Dzhakishev as a modernizing Western-style manager. Some observers believe Dzhakishev may have fallen foul of the authorities because of his loyalty to London-based government opponent Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Dzhakishev was found guilty of defrauding the Kazakh government of around $680,000 and accepting bribes.
His supporters say he was denied the opportunity for an adequate defense.
