Former deputy mayor of Aktau city, Temur Saidvakasov, who had been put on the international wanted list, was arrested in Uzbekistan.
The former official first illegally crossed the border of Kazakhstan with Kyrgyzstan, and then was detained by local border guards when he was crossing into Uzbekistan.
Temur Saidvakasov may now be sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison - this is the punishment provided for in Uzbekistan for a group of persons crossing the state border with prior collusion.
The deputy mayor is suspected of corruption crimes in Kazakhstan related to Tioline company, which is now developing the Obukhovskoye rare metals deposit in the North Kazakhstan region. According to the investigation, one of the shareholders of the company - Viktor Dolgalev - committed offences, including engaging in illegal subsoil use.
Earlier, the court acquitted Dolgalev, but soon the verdict was overturned, and the case was sent for reconsideration to another region. According to the investigation, the man also solved his problems with the help of officials, including Saidvakasov. The deputy mayor is accused of fraud and incitement to bribery.
Having learned that he was included in the list of suspects, the deputy mayor tried to hide, but now he may be imprisoned in two countries at once - in Kazakhstan for corruption crimes and in Uzbekistan for illegal border crossing.
