Kazakh ambassador to London was KGB spy, paper claims

Abusseitov

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
British authorities may consider expelling Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the UK a newspaper alleged he used to be a KGB spy. British weekly The Mail on Sunday claims to be in possession of a 175-page file from Soviet intelligence archives, which allegedly proves that Kazakh attaché to London Kairat Abusseitov, was recruited by the KGB in 1988 and given the codename “Delano”. The paper alleges that Abusseitov has continued working for independent Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee, also known as KNB, until today. In addition to his ambassadorial duties, Abusseitov also presides over the British Kazakh Society (BKS), whose honorary patron is Prince Andrew, second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II. The Mail on Sunday notes that the two men regularly meet at BKS events. Ambassador Abusseitov confirmed that “he [has] had regular contact with the KGB”, but denied he was ever a spy. This is not the first time that intelligence complications have stigmatized UK-Kazakh relations. Last January, there were allegations that MI6 agents were found assisting the Kazakh government’s campaign to discredit Rakhat Aliyev, former director of the KNB who is currently living in exile in Austria.