Türkiye has extradited to Kazakhstan a former head of a regional division of the Finiko financial pyramid, who had been wanted internationally since 2022.

The operation was carried out by the Financial Monitoring Agency’s Almaty department together with Interpol’s National Central Bureau, under the coordination of prosecutorial authorities, according to Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency.

Finiko did not conduct genuine business or investment activities. Instead, payments to earlier participants were reportedly made using funds from new investors.

More than 160 million tenge (about $355,000) was attracted through the pyramid scheme.

As part of pretrial confiscation proceedings, a plot of land belonging to the suspect, valued at 221 million tenge (about $490,000), was also transferred to state ownership.

Three other defendants had previously been convicted in the case and sentenced to up to six years in prison, with their property confiscated.

The investigation is ongoing.