ASTANA, April 24. /TASS/. Kazakhstan’s former security chief Karim Masimov has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars on charges of high treason.

On Monday, an Astana court found Masimov guilty of high treason, forcible seizure of power and exceeding his authority and sentenced him to 18 years in prison in addition to confiscating his property and banning him from holding any government position in the future.

Apart from that, he has been stripped of his titles and state awards.

Masimov was dismissed as head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on January 5, 2022 amid the riots in the country. He was detained on suspicion of high treason on January 8. His criminal case was referred to the court by the Kazakh prosecutor general’s office on November 7.