Najib held a glittering ceremony in Kuala Lumpur to mark his daughter's engagement last year.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — The mother of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's future son-in-law has dismissed claims that she and her son are confidence tricksters, saying such allegations are completely untrue and absurd.
On Tuesday, several foreign newspapers including the New York Post reported that Daniyar Nazarbayev, who is engaged to Najib's daughter, was being sued together with his mother for cheating his stepfather, brother to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He also allegedly fudged his academic qualifications to get into Columbia University in the United States.
Several local media picked up the story on the 24-year-old Kazakh who celebrated his engagement to Prime Minister Najib's daughter Nooryana Najwa in a glittering ceremony here in June last year.
But Daniyar's mother Maira Nazarbayev, in a statement sent by a New York-based PR firm 5wpr, said today the reports arose due to "a private family matter" being "manipulated and exploited by parties with political interests."
"My husband and I are unaware of who is actually behind these absurd claims and accusations. These scandalous allegations are completely untrue and have been made without any substantiation whatsoever," she said.
She said she and her husband Bolat, who is Daniyar's stepfather, "remain committed to our children, and will resolve this matter privately. We are proud of all our children."
Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs had dismissed as unrelated to Najib's leadership allegations the coalition chief's future son-in-law cheated his stepfather out of a RM63 million home and lied to gain entrance into Columbia University.
Lawmakers from the ruling coalition had told The Malaysian Insider earlier this week the issue was a "private matter" and would not affect the Umno president's ability to govern.
The New York Post had cited court papers filed by Bolat Nazarbayez in New York, accusing Daniyar of cheating the former out of a US$20 million (RM63 million) condominium home on Wall Street besides landing in the top-rated university using "fraudulent and fabricated" paperwork from a high school in Kazakhstan he did not attend.
Daniyar, who is said to have met Nooryana in Columbia, graduated from the Ivy League institution in 2010.
The daily also reported that Daniyar's mother, Maira, had changed his surname from Kesikbayev to Nazarbayev to match the Kazakh president's after marrying Bolat in 2001.
Despite widespread searches in five countries including Malaysia, Daniyar has been reported missing. Similar reports were also published in the UK's Daily Mail and international news agency UPI.
This is not the first time Najib's ties with Kazakhstan have come under the spotlight. Indonesia's top newspaper Kompas had alleged in August last year that Najib's future son-in-law's mother had links to the Russian mafia.
"Maira Nazarbayev, who lives a lifestyle a la Imelda Marcos, supposedly has links to the Russian mafia," the paper had said in a column published on August 4, 2011.
However, the newspaper did not substantiate its claims. Najib denied the allegation and the newspaper has also apologised for the article.
Maira also said in the statement that the family has a pre-planned vacation in Europe over the next few weeks and she will "spend this quiet time with my family and loved ones."
- The Malaysian Insider
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