Nursultan Nazarbayev

Country: Kazakhstan
Ruled: 1991-
Deposed: Not yet
Exiled: Russia?
Wealth: $7 billion

Kazakh strongman who has ruled the oil-rich Central Asian republic since the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Variously accused of money-laundering, bribery and assassination, he is said to be worth $7 billion, but was recently cleared by the US Department of Justice in 2010 over the notorious ‘Kazakhgate’.

Nazarbayev was accused of receiving bribes from an American businessman James Giffen, who was allegedly acting for US oil companies, and was himself on trial. But the USA and Russia both like Nazarbayev so he’s probably secure, even though the neighbouring Kyrgs threw out Kurmanbek Bakiyev last year.