Moscow: The multi-millionaire daughter of Kazakhstan's former president has been stripped of powers that would have put her first in line for the leadership of the oil-rich central Asian nation.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the current president, gave no reason for Dariga Nazarbayeva's surprise dismissal as senate speaker, but the decision comes shortly after a high-profile London court battle that exposed details of her vast personal fortune.

Nazarbayeva was made senate speaker last year when her father Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped down after almost 30 years as president, handing over to his protégé Tokayev.

The speaker automatically takes power if the president resigns or is incapacitated, leading to speculation that 56-year-old Nazarbayeva was positioning to succeed her father.