Following an Aegean Sea superyacht vacation that allegedly went spectacularly wrong after the letting off of firecrackers, eight Kazakh citizens, including a prominent banker, have found themselves in heavy media spotlight after Greek authorities charged them over a wildfire that broke out on the island of Hydra. 

A firestorm on June 22 tore through 300,000 square metres of the Greek rocky island after a brush fire amid a major heatwave spread to a pine forest. The fire reportedly stopped short of burning through the denser part of the pine forest thanks to the efforts of Hydra’s firefighters and winds that fortuitously blew in the opposite direction to the encroaching flames. 

The Piraeus Prosecutor’s Office charged the Kazakhs after claims that the eight individuals were on a beach when the fire started, not on their boat. 

Firecracker remains found on the beach suggested the fire was caused by firecrackers ill-advisedly let off there, according to allegations of the investigators reported by local press. 

Greek media outlet Inside Story as well as the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that Daniyar Abulgazin, one of Kazakhstan's wealthiest individuals, along with his son and daughter-in-law, Aidan Suleimenova, who heads a large charity, were aboard the superyacht, the Persefoni I, as well as the charity’s deputy director. 

Other passengers included Umut Shayakhmetova, CEO of Halyk Bank, her husband Beimbet Shayakhmetov, former top manager at KMG International NV, and their daughter. 

On July 1, Abulgazin was reported by Forbes Kazakhstan as denying in a statement that he or his guests were responsible for sparking the forest fire. Abulgazin was quoted as stating: “Neither I nor my guests did anything that could have caused a fire. We strictly followed the fire safety rules established on the yacht. Neither I nor my guests asked the yacht crew or other third parties to take any actions that could have caused a fire.”

Prior to the announcement of the charges, the Kazakhs were all allowed to return home without giving statements on the wildfire.

The luxury yacht can be rented for €250,000 per week.

On June 27, the Greek authorities decided to detain the captain and lieutenant of the yacht temporarily. The other 11 crew members were released on bail under the condition that they report to the local police department monthly. Bail amounts were set at €10,000 for seven of the crew members and €20,000 for the remaining four.

“The internal affairs service of the Ministry of Civil Affairs received an order from the prosecutor’s office to conduct a preliminary investigation into the actions of the fire service and the coast guard in this particular case,” Greek police spokeswoman Konstantina Dimoglidou told Balkan Insight (BIRN).