Russia's "Kommersant" daily on January 18 reported that Izmestev had been detained two days earlier in Bishkek by Russian and Kyrgyz security officers, then forcibly put on a flight to Moscow, through Novosibirsk.
The daily quotes Izmestev's lawyer, Vladimir Sementsov, as saying his client was "abducted" since there was no arrest warrant for him.
The lawyer also rejected as "lies" Russian prosecutors' claims that Izmestyev was detained in Novosibirsk, not in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyz officials have confirmed Izmestev's arrest in Bishkek.
A spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, Toktogul Kakchekeev, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service on January 18 that he saw nothing illegal in the fact that Izmestev was detained on Kyrgyz soil.
"With regard to this particular case, one has to note that the cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan against organized crime is regulated by laws and by the agreements [that exist between the two countries]," Kakchekeev said.
A representative of the republic of Bashkortostan at the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia's
legislature, Izmestev resigned from his post on December 13 amid allegations that he was involved in dubious
business activities.
Ismestev has denied any wrondgoing.
(with additional reporting by AKIpress)
