A Kazakh grandee falls from grace

By Stephanie Irvine
BBC News

In the last week Rakhat Aliyev has experienced a rapid fall from grace.

The son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan President Nazarbayev has been arrested in Austria after being charged by the Kazakh authorities with involvement in kidnapping.

Kazakhstan is now seeking the extradition of Mr Aliyev, a businessman and until this week the Kazakh ambassador to Austria.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev (right) is a powerful man with powerful friends

The husband of the president's eldest daughter, Dariga, he had been enjoying a powerful and prosperous career.

He has been deputy head of the Kazakh KGB and deputy foreign minister, and owns a media empire.

But in January a scandal erupted at the bank in which he is the major shareholder, Nurbank.

Two executives were kidnapped - one of whom is still missing.

Mr Aliyev says the case is aimed at destroying his political ambition.

Challenge

In the last week Mr Aliyev has been charged with the kidnappings, arrested, sacked from his job, and had his media outlets closed down.

So what went wrong for him?

Some analysts say that for all the allegations against him of corruption and criminal activity, his position in Kazakhstan's most powerful family would have protected him from prosecution if he had not made the mistake of angering his father-in-law and others close to him.

Mr Aliyev recently criticised a change to the constitution removing limits to how long President Nazarbayev can remain in office.

He has also used his media outlets to accuse some powerful politicians who are close to the president, of corruption.

Mr Aliyev himself claims the charges stem from his own ambition to stand for president in the future.

It could also be that the controversy surrounding Mr Aliyev's business practices had become a liability for President Nazarbayev who is trying to convince the West that Kazakhstan is a modern country on the road to democracy.