KNB Declined To Disclose Details Of The Detention Of Massimov’s Ex-Son-In-Law

The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan declined to comment on reports of the detention of Azamat Kapenov, the former son-in-law of ex-National Security Committee head Karim Massimov, who has been wanted since 2024, Orda.kz reports.

We sent an official request to the National Security Committee, but they replied that the necessary information was not subject to disclosure. In effect, the Committee has classified a high-profile criminal case involving members of the “Old Kazakhstan” elite.

According to media reports, Azamat Kapenov was detained in August in the United Arab Emirates, where he had reportedly been living.

Following the January events, he was placed on the wanted list by both Kazakhstan and Russia. Russian authorities suspect him of fraud and theft of property. What charges the Kazakh security services have against Kapenov remain unknown.

In June, Orda.kz reported that Kapenov and Massimov’s daughter had been unable to divide their property following their divorce. The disputes in Moscow courts lasted three years.

It is still unclear which assets were contested, though it is believed to involve elite Moscow real estate. Russian media reported that Kapenov owned a house in Serebryany Bor with a 2,900 m² plot, a 931 m² mansion in the village of Zhukovka — an elite Rublyovka district — valued at 1.2 billion tenge, and a 234.3 m² apartment in Varsonofyevsky Lane, a historic residence of renowned Soviet artists.

As Elmedia suggested, Kapenov’s detention could become one of the most high-profile episodes in the pursuit of fugitive members of Massimov’s circle. But will he be extradited to Astana?

The UAE has long served as a “safe haven” for former members of Nazarbayev’s elite. The absence of an extradition treaty with Kazakhstan — and lengthy procedures even under international warrants — often allows suspects to avoid extradition for years.

Kapenov’s fate will now depend on the Emirati justice system and his lawyers’ abilities.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva