Russian lawyer Dmitry Minov, deputy chairman of the Advokat Premium bar association, has said rapper Navai could face criminal prosecution in Russia even after the case against him in Kazakhstan was dropped, infohub.kz reports.
"Despite the termination of the criminal case in Kazakhstan, the possibility of Navai being held criminally liable in Russia cannot be entirely ruled out. Under Article 12 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Russian citizens may be held criminally liable for crimes committed abroad if there is no foreign court ruling on that crime against them," TASS quoted him as saying.
The lawyer noted that the detention took place on the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and both countries are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, so crossing that border does not constitute the smuggling offense set out in Article 229.1 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Recall that on October 14 it emerged that Navai's fans would not be able to attend his scheduled performance in Astana: the organizers announced the concert had been canceled. The same day, the police department of Zhambyl Region said Navai had been detained on suspicion of drug smuggling — a criminal case was opened and the artist was placed in a temporary detention facility.
The rapper's director, Rauf Gusanov, declined to comment on the detention, while his mother called the situation a "set-up" and expressed confidence that he would soon be released. Kyrgyzstan launched a check amid the developments: the Border Service is investigating how the musician was able to cross the border with drugs, and those responsible could be punished.
On October 15, the artist was ordered held in custody. His lawyer Rena Kerimova said the defense would try to secure a fine for him. On October 20, it emerged that the case against Navai had been closed on non-exonerating grounds and that the rapper himself had been expelled from Kazakhstan.