One of Kazakhstan’s richest men has denied wrongdoing after organising a party on a superyacht that is suspected of igniting a forest fire with a fireworks display.

Daniyar Abulgazin is one of eight Kazakh nationals who were on board the luxury vessel last month, and who are being prosecuted for complicity to arson by the Greek authorities.

The businessman rented the yacht Persephoni and was in the area when the blaze burnt through 300 acres on the island of Hydra, south of Athens.

Initially, authorities alleged that fireworks were launched directly from the yacht, but now Greek media report they may have been launched from a beach on the island after people on Persephoni took a boat to shore.

Kazakhstan has no extradition agreement with Greece so they are unlikely to have to go there to face questioning.