Kazakhstan’s Utembayev denies murder

Yerzhan Utembayev, ex-Head of the Kazakh Senate Office sentenced to 20 years for ordering assassination of oppositionist Altynbek Sarsenbayev in 2006, said that he had not ordered Rustam Ibragimov to kill the man, News Kazakhstan reports.The statement was made within the framework of a new investigation started on January 22. Utembayev admitted that he did want Sarsenbayev to be beaten but cannot recall the reason for that.He said that the murder was ordered by Rahat Aliyev and that he had heard about it from Ibragimov in May 2006.Andrey Kravchenko, Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, said in December that the murder was ordered by Altynbek Sarsenbayev and that the two of his assistants were Austrian ex-ambassador to Kazakhstan and ex-brother-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Rahat Aliyev.

Yerzhan Utembayev, ex-Head of the Kazakh Senate Office sentenced to 20 years for ordering assassination of oppositionist Altynbek Sarsenbayev in 2006, said that he had not ordered Rustam Ibragimov to kill the man, News Kazakhstan reports.

The statement was made within the framework of a new investigation started on January 22. Utembayev admitted that he did want Sarsenbayev to be beaten but cannot recall the reason for that.

He said that the murder was ordered by Rahat Aliyev and that he had heard about it from Ibragimov in May 2006.

Andrey Kravchenko, Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, said in December that the murder was ordered by Altynbek Sarsenbayev and that the two of his assistants were Austrian ex-ambassador to Kazakhstan and ex-brother-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Rahat Aliyev.