Kazakh President's Son-in-Law Tells All

A book written by the former son-in-law of the Kazakh president, titled the "Godfather-in-Law," was published this week in German and Russian.

Rakhat Aliev, who is currently in self-imposed exile in Austria, has been promising to issue the book after his very public split with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev in 2007. Earlier this year, Aliev told RFE/RL that his book would reveal many secrets about Nazarbaev's power structure.

Aliev's personal website says that the book is available in bookstores in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. According to the book's promo, it is "about a man who deprived his nation of billions of dollars and put it into slavery."

On the book's cover there is a picture of a person resembling Nazarbaev in a military uniform, aiming at an unknown target with a pistol.

In 2008, a Kazakh court tried Aliev in absentia and found him guilty of extortion, kidnapping, and murder.

Aliev was sentenced to 40 years in jail. He denies the charges and says all the accusations are politically motivated.

-- Kazakh Service