Kazakhstan and Cyprus will provide mutual legal
assistance in criminal cases. Members of the Mazhilis, a Lower House of
the Kazakh Parliament, ratified extradition treaties between the countries,
namely the return of persons wanted by authorizing state agencies. Their action
should be recognized as a criminal offense to be punishable by imprisonment for
at least one year in both countries. The document defines the requirements for
the form of the application for transfer, the period of temporary detention,
order of transfer and other procedural issues.
“We must agree if Cyprus requests
us to extradite a person who has committed a crime outside their territory.
However, their actions must be recognized as an offense in Kazakhstan too. The
Constitution of Kazakhstan does not allow for the expulsion of our citizens to
a foreign country unless otherwise stipulated by international treaties
concluded by our country. This constitutional requirement is taken into account
in the treaty, according to which we do not extradite Kazakh citizens. Besides,
the treaty provides 12 more grounds for refusal,” said Asset Chindaliyev,
Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan.
As for the extradition treaty in criminal cases,
Kazakhstan has signed 21 such agreements so far. In the field of
criminal law, a total of 73 bilateral agreements have been concluded with 34
countries, including 35 agreements with European countries. According to Asset
Chindaliyev, in the process of concluding such agreements, priority is
generally given to countries with which trade and economic ties and cooperation
in the field of tourism have been established. To date, the trade turnover with
Cyprus has reached $200 million. Over the past 15 years, Cyprus’s direct
investments in Kazakhstan’s economy have totaled about $3 billion.
