Kazakh investigators detained an Almaty-based investigative journalist in connection with suspicious real estate deals linked to the brother of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev. The Financial Monitoring Agency, which prosecutes financial crimes, said on December 19 that Mikhail Kozachkov's detention was part of a probe into the "illegal takeover of property" by allies of Bolat Nazarbaev. A journalists' rights group said Kozachkov’s home was searched without his lawyer present. Kozachkov, an investigative journalist for the newspaper Vremya, said in May his car had been vandalized and he was under surveillance by unknown individuals. To read the original story from RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Officials Detain Investigative Reporter In Real Estate Probe Of Ex-President's Brother
The Financial Monitoring Agency, which prosecutes financial crimes, said on December 19 that Mikhail Kozachkov's detention was part of a probe into the "illegal takeover of property" by allies of Bolat Nazarbaev.