Kazakh City Claims Mayor Looted It

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, sued its former mayor, his family and a host of others it accuses of looting the city and laundering the stolen millions.

In the federal lawsuit, the city claims its former mayor, Viktor Khrapunov, several of his family members and a host of businesses "systematically looted" public funds.

"VK abused his position of trust as a public official in order to convert and sell numerous assets belonging to the City of Almaty for his own benefit and the benefit of his co-conspirators, and VK and his co-conspirators thereafter set out to launder and conceal their ill-gotten gains by acquiring assets, including assets located in the Central District of California and within the United States, and making investments in entities in the United States and throughout the world," the lawsuit states.

Khrapunov was mayor of Almaty from 2991 until 2004. He then became governor of Pavlodar province until 2007, when he was appointed minister of emergency measures. He retired in late 2007, a retirement the city describes as "a flight into exile" with his ill-gotten gains, via private jet. The city believes he lives in Switzerland. It estimates his net worth as $324 million to $432 million.

The city claims that for "more than six years, VK repeatedly and systematically ... abused his position of power and authority to steal millions of dollars of real property and assets from the people of Almaty."

It city seeks restitution, a constructive trust and an injunction.

Here are the defendants: Viktor Khrapunov; Leila Khrapunov; Iliyas Khrapunov; Madina Ablyazova aka Madina Khrapunova; Elvira Khrapuno, aka Elvira Kudryashova, aka Elvira Balmadani; Dmitri Kudryashov; RPM USA LLC, a New York corp.; RPM-Maro LLC, a New York corp.; Mr. Fumigation Inc.; Maro Design LLC; Haute Hue LLC; 628 Holdings LLC; Candian International Ltd., a British Virgin Islands corp.; Elvira Kudryashova as Trustee for The Kasan Family Trust; and Dmitri Kudryashov as Trustee for The Kasan Family Trust.

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