Russian rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov) could be released from a pretrial detention center in Kazakhstan on bail of about 2.1 million tenge. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The musician's defense is seeking to change the measure of restraint. However, the named amount remains an assumption: the decision on the possibility of release and the amount of bail must be made by a court.
According to SHOT, the possible amount is 300,000–400,000 rubles. The channel also reports that while awaiting an appeal, which the defense expects to be heard next week, Navai Bakirov is writing new songs.
At the same time, the rapper's lawyer, Rena Kerimova, did not name a specific bail amount for her client in an interview with Tengri Life. She explained that in bail practice there is no fixed rate, and mentioned a lower threshold of 500 MRP — about 2.1 million tenge. Therefore, this amount cannot be considered an already established condition for release.
In a conversation with TASS on October 16, the lawyer confirmed that the musician is in the pretrial detention center in Taraz. At that time, the defense was still preparing an appeal.
"The complaint has not yet been filed, and I also cannot report the bail amount," the lawyer said.
The musician was detained on October 13 at the "Kordai" checkpoint when he was entering Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan. According to police, a narcotic substance was found during a vehicle inspection. After that, Navai was placed in a temporary detention facility.
On October 15, it became known that the Kordai District Court arrested the performer for two months. According to SHOT, the detention period expires on the morning of December 14. Police reported an investigation under two articles related to smuggling and illegal storage of drugs.
Earlier, "Kursiv" reported that two of the musician's companions — Khalmurad Manapov and concert director Rauf Gasanov — were released. Navai's concert in Astana, scheduled for October 14, was canceled.
After the detention, Kyrgyzstan's border service began an internal review of the circumstances of passing control at the "Ak-Zhol" checkpoint. Russia's Consulate General in Almaty sent a note to Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry asking for clarification of the situation surrounding the arrest of a Russian citizen.
And the day before, the artist's colleagues spoke out in his support. Producer Elfar Suleimanov published three posts on Threads about Navai's detention. He stated that about two grams of marijuana were indeed found in the car, but this does not prove that the substance belonged to the rapper himself.