But Greek prosecutors have ordered an investigation into whether officials followed proper protocol in allowing Abulgazin, one of Kazakhstan’s richest men, to leave with his guests the day after the June 21 fire.
A document from the probe ordered by the state prosecutor –– which was obtained by Inside Story, OCCRP’s member center in Greece –– suggests the Kazakhs were only questioned only briefly before they departed on a private jet.
The document contains testimony from a Greek Fire Services official who states that the guests were asked if they used fireworks, which allegedly caused the blaze.
“They denied it,” according to the document, which does not specify who asked the questions, or whether the guests were questioned individually or as a group.
OCCRP previously reported that seven Kazakh nationals were among 10guests aboard the superyacht Persefoni I, which was off the coast of Hydra when the fire started, according to maritime data. Witnesses alleged that fireworks were launched in the area at the time the blaze began.
“Neither I nor my guests did anything that could have caused a fire,” Abulgazin said in a statement first published by Forbes Kazakhstan, although he did not explicitly deny the reports of fireworks being launched.
Investigators from the Fire Service’s Arson Crimes Division found remnants of fireworks on the beach near the burn site after Greece’s state prosecutor reportedly ordered an investigation into the cause of the fire, and the subsequent actions of authorities.
Government and judicial sources confirmed to Inside Story that prosecutors initiated the probe, which was not announced publicly.
A ship’s manifest obtained by reporters shows that Abulgazin’s guests on the yacht included Umut Shayakhmetova, CEO of Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank. Also listed was her husband, Beimbet Shayakhmetov, a former executive at the national oil company, KMG International NV.
“Before our departure from Greece, which was originally scheduled for June 22, representatives of the Greek authorities spoke with us, who did not make any claims against me or my guests in connection with this incident,” Abulgazin said in his statement.
But Adrianos Gurbatsis, who has been hired as a technical advisor by the yacht captain’s lawyer, told Inside Story that the way the Fire Services’ Arson Crimes Division questioned the guests was "against the rules.”
The guests should have been interrogated separately under oath, according to protocol, and their individual testimonies should have been recorded, said Gurbatsis, a former Fire Service official who set up its Arson Crimes Division.
The captain of the Persefoni I remains in detention after he was arrested along with 12 other crew members. They contested arson charges last week in court, Reuters reported.
Greek and international media reported that charges were brought against eight of the yacht guests, including some Kazakh citizens, after they had already left the country. Greek officials have not publicly confirmed those reports, while Abulgazin and other guests did not respond to requests for comment.
