Son of Kyrgyzstan’s fugitive president arrested in UK
The US now wants Britain to extradite Maxim Bakiyev on allegations of fraud. He fled his homeland after a 2010 revolt that left at least 80 people dead and toppled the government.
Mr Bakiyev, 34, son of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was arrested in London on Friday at the request of Kyrgyzstan and the US, the Kyrgyz president’s office said. He voluntarily attended an appointment at a police station.
“The US has requested the extradition of Mr Bakiyev from the UK to face trial in US federal court on serious charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and obstruction of justice,” the US embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek said in a statement. “If convicted Mr Bakiyev could face a lengthy prison sentence.”
Shadow prime minister
According to Russia Today news, Maxim Bakyev has a legal background having graduated from the joint Ryrgyz-Russian Slavic University. He specialised in investments into emerging markets in Central Asia and the Middle East and his Latvia-based investment company, Maval Aktivi, was involved in mining, oil and gas production, banking, mass media and real estate in Kazakhstan, Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Latin America and Africa, RT reported.
During Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s rule in Kyrgyzstan. Maxim Bakiyev was considered a shadow prime minister, Itar-Tass reported today. He headed the central agency for development of innovations and investments in Kyrgyzstan and fled the republic during a revolt in April 2010, Itar-Tass reported.
His father, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was given shelter by Belarus after crowds of protesters seized his headquarters. More than 80 people were killed when security forces opened fire on opposition supporters, according to authorities and relatives of those who died (see photo of relatives, above).
Justice for relatives
Kyrgyzstan is a mainly Muslim, ex-Soviet republic of 5.5m people with American and Russian military bases and it is struggling to build a parliamentary democracy.
“The UK staunchly supports the efforts of the leadership and people of Kyrgyzstan over the last two years to set Kyrgyzstan firmly on a path to a more democratic, stable and prosperous future,” the British Embassy said in a statement.
“We are conscious that, as part of those efforts, the leadership and people of Kyrgyzstan are keen to ensure that those accused of past abuses of power are brought before the courts to answer allegations against them.”
Allegations of mass killings
Belarus, run by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, has repeatedly rejected Kyrgyzstan’s requests to extradite the former president, who is accused at home of “mass killings” of protesters during the coup.
Two presidents, including Bakiyev, have been toppled in Kyrgyzstan since 2005. Some 500 people were killed in inter-ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010.