Azamat Kapenov, the one-time son-in-law of the past chairman of the National Security Committee, remains in Dubai in spite of a global search.
Prominent accused individuals reside peacefully overseas, but authorities cannot return them to their homeland.
An illustration is Azamat Kapenov, the former son-in-law of the found-guilty ex-chief of the National Security Committee (KNB), Karim Masimov. He continues to live freely in Dubai, despite being on the international wanted list. The UAE denied extradition, and Kazakhstan simply did not furnish documentation.
Kapenov was apprehended in August 2025. Kazakhstan and Russia placed him on the worldwide wanted list following the January incidents. Russia suspects him of deceit and misuse of funds. Kazakhstan, conversely, is unclear on what basis: no official indictments have been filed thus far.
“At Interpol's behest, a worldwide search was initiated based on a complaint lodged by Balushkin (a Kazakh businessman on the run – author's note). Kapenov was taken into custody. He was then freed because the Kazakh party neglected to supply paperwork substantiating the accusations, upon request from local law enforcement.”
She asserts the claims against her client are groundless. According to her attorney, the expert assessment undertaken at her insistence did not corroborate any damages endured by the victims in the litigation against Kapenov.
“These are matters of civil law—transactions, remittances—yet he's being accused of fraud. This matter ought to have been addressed in civil court, regarding who owes whom. Instead, they commenced a criminal case. Our investigation is of exceedingly poor quality. There are substantial professional lapses. In international instances, this is instantly noticeable. For instance, they initially present a criminal charge, and afterward commence evaluating damages. Everything is reversed. The foreign agency perceives that the case hasn’t been followed through properly and declines extradition,” states the human rights advocate.
Azamat Kapenov spent a month in detention in Dubai and was released—the UAE no longer possessed justification to hold him. Furthermore, such cases extend for years via Interpol. According to his attorney, Kapenov is not concealing himself: he partakes in remote hearings, furnishes his address, and the investigator still requests a search warrant.
“Why dedicate two years to searching for an individual if his location is known?” the attorney questions.
