Silvio Berlusconi’s ally ‘rendered dissident’s family to Kazakhstan’
Source: Independent
Silvio Berlusconis ally rendered dissidents family to Kazakhstan
Angelino Alfano accused of ordering an 'extraordinary rendition' to help Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Michael Day Author
Milan
Tuesday 09 July 2013
Silvio Berlusconis top ally in Italys coalition government has been accused of ordering an extraordinary rendition to help Kazakhstans dictator, President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The wife and six-year-old daughter of leading Kazakh dissident Mukhtar Ablyazov were arrested and deported from Italy on 29 May on the orders of Romes interior ministry, which is headed by Angelino Alfano.
Mr Alfano, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, is a senior member of Mr Berlusconis conservative PDL party, and is seen as the former premiers right-hand man in government.
Mr Ablyazovs wife was accused of holding a false passport and whisked out of Rome within 72 hours on a chartered jet, accompanied by a Kazakh official. But a Rome court has now ruled her documents were in order and it has questioned the validity and speed of the deportation.
Centre-left politicians and newspapers in Italy have accused Mr Alfano of delivering the wife and child of Mr Ablyazov to Kazakhstan at the behest of Mr Berlusconi, who has described the Kazakh President as a dear friend. Mr Alfano has, as justice minister under previous Berlusconi administrations, twice attempted to introduce immunity laws to shield the media mogul from prosecution laws that were subsequently struck down as unconstitutional by the courts.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/silvio-berlusconis-ally-rendered-dissidents-family-to-kazakhstan-8698480.html