U.S. lawyer and former oil executive James Giffen, who served as an adviser to Kazakhstan\'s President Nursultan Nazarbaev, was arrested in New York on 30 March and charged with two counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Giffen is accused of evading taxes on a $2 million payment he received for brokering an oil deal with the government of Kazakhstan and of channeling more than $78 million into foreign bank accounts belonging to two top Kazakh officials -- who are widely believed to be Nazarbaev and former Prime Minister Nurlan Balghymbaev. Nazarbaev has consistently denied accusations that he has such bank accounts. Eurasia.org.ru on 3 April posted what it said is the testimony of an FBI agent to a New York court, on the basis of which the arrest warrant for Giffen was issued. (RFE/RL)