Kapenov: Dubai Refuses Extradition to Kazakhstan

High-profile criminal suspects continue to live freely abroad while Kazakh authorities struggle to bring them home. One such case is Azamat Kapenov, the former son-in-law of convicted ex-KNB chief Karim Masimov.

Despite being placed on the international wanted list, he remains in Dubai, where the UAE refused to extradite him. Kazakhstan, in turn, failed to provide the needed documentation, Kapenov’s lawyer told Orda.kz.

Kapenov was detained in August 2025 after Kazakhstan and Russia put him on the wanted list following the January events. Russia accuses him of fraud and embezzlement.

In Kazakhstan’s case, however, no formal charges have been filed.

At Interpol's request, an international search was launched based on a complaint filed by Balushkin. Kapenov was detained. He was then released because the Kazakh side failed to provide documents supporting the charges in response to a request from local law enforcement,
  lawyer Zhanna Alexandrova

She argues the accusations are baseless.

An expert examination she commissioned allegedly found no damages in the case against Kapenov.

These are civil law matters — transactions, payments — and he's being charged with fraud. This issue should have been resolved in civil court. Instead, they opened a criminal case. Our investigation is of appalling quality. There are massive professional violations. In international cases, this is immediately apparent. For example, they first present a qualification, and then start assessing damages. Everything is backwards. The foreign agency sees that the case hasn't been followed through and refuses extradition.
Alexandrova says.

Kapenov spent one month in custody in Dubai before being released due to a lack of grounds for continued detention. 

His lawyer says Interpol procedures can drag on for years, yet he is not hiding:

Family, Citizenship, and Property Disputes

Kapenov has long lived in the UAE, where his children reside. He renounced Russian citizenship in 2023 and obtained a Kyrgyz passport, as well as a UAE residence permit.

He's not hiding. He's already been through more than 50 court cases trying to secure the right to see his children. Azamat even filed a complaint claiming his children were kidnapped,
 his lawyer says.

As Orda.kz previously reported, Kapenov spent three years in Moscow battling over custody and property with Masimov’s daughter, Tamila Karim. Russian outlets wrote that Kapenov may have owned a house in Serebryany Bor, a mansion in Zhukovka, and an apartment in central Moscow.

UAE courts have since established a two-weeks-with-each-parent visitation schedule.

Similar Cases

Kapenov’s case is not unique. Kazakhstan has spent years unsuccessfully trying to extradite major defendants.

Kairat Kozhamzharov, former head of the Anti-Corruption Service, vanished and has not been located.

His ally Maksat Duissenov was detained in Germany, but extradition has stalled.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office flatly prohibited Anatoly Balushkin's extradition. In April, he was sentenced in absentia to nine years for fraud.

The most high-profile fugitive, Mukhtar Ablyazov, has lived freely in Europe for more than a decade. Despite losing political asylum status and accumulating fines, France continues to ignore Kazakhstan’s requests.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva