How Suleiman Kerimov earned billions and went into the shadows. Suleiman Kerimov: Derbent sufferer Business and investment projects

Senator and billionaire Suleiman Kerimov got into serious trouble with French justice at the wrong time. The decision that he must remain in the Nice area until his trial effectively deprives him of the opportunity to personally participate in the formation of a new configuration of power in Dagestan. Of course, Kerimov can influence many processes remotely, but, as the previous international scandal around his assets showed, it is Dagestan in Kerimov’s “empire” that is a rather vulnerable link.

French law enforcement authorities are pursuing a criminal case against Suleiman Kerimov in constant tension mode.

Let us remind you that Suleiman Kerimov was detained at Nice airport on November 20. On the third day after his arrest, a French court charged him with tax evasion and money laundering, and the court released him on bail of 5 million euros. The court ordered the senator to surrender his passport to the French authorities, and also prohibited him from traveling outside the Alpes-Maritimes department and coming into contact with a certain circle of people. Kerimov is also required to report to the local police several times a week.

At the beginning of this week, the Nice prosecutor's office filed an appeal against the court's decision to release the Russian senator on bail and demanded that his preventive measure be changed, naturally, to one not related to his stay at large. From the prosecution’s side, this demand sounds like “placing Kerimov under legal control.”

Prosecutor of Nice Jean-Michel Prêtre, who filed the appeal, believes that the decision of the investigative chamber of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal will follow in a few days.

According to him, if the court rejects the appeal, the prosecutor's office will seek to ensure that measures of legal control over Kerimov are strengthened.

“I do not believe that the measures taken at present are proportional to the existing risks and large incomes, as well as to the personality of Mr. Kerimov himself,”- said Pretre.

Meanwhile, in Russia, after several protocol statements at the level of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kremlin press service about the detention of Kerimov, it seems that calm has fallen. We tried to figure out how such a situation could affect the senator, his political and business assets.

In remote access

By the end of the reign Ramazana Abdulatipova Suleiman Kerimov actually restored his influence in Dagestan, although at the time of Abdulatipov’s appointment there were completely different assumptions. Sudden resignation Magomedsalama Magomedova, under which Kerimov received most favored nation treatment in Dagestan, allowed us to assume that other business interests would enjoy the favor of the new government - for example, the Summa group Ziyavudina Magomedova. Just a few days after Abdulatipov’s arrival, Kerimov’s direct protege defiantly left the government of Dagestan Oleg Lipatov, who previously headed his Nafta Moscow company and was then appointed First Deputy Prime Minister.

A few months later, Kerimov faced the very unpleasant prospects of international prosecution when the general director of the Russian company Uralkali was arrested in Belarus. Vladislav Baumgertner. After this, the Belarusian authorities put Kerimov on the wanted list (including through Interpol) as the main shareholder of Uralkali, accusing him of causing damage to local mineral fertilizer production companies.

Shortly before the start of this story, it became known that Suleiman Kerimov decided to sell off the “star” squad of the Makhachkala football club “Anzhi”, which just won bronze medals in the Russian championship and reached the 1/8 finals of the Europa League. And although the problems with Uralkali were resolved quite quickly (Kerimov sold his shares Mikhail Prokhorov), Anji was relegated to the First League the very next season. And another project of Suleiman Kerimov in Dagestan - the Caspian Flat Glass Plant - received a serious blow due to the devaluation of the ruble. The newly launched enterprise was built on foreign currency loans, so the two-fold drop in the exchange rate sharply increased its debt burden, after which the plant was forced to file for technical bankruptcy. In May 2014, it also became known that the charitable foundation of Suleiman Kerimov, for the first time in several years, did not allocate free quotas for pilgrims from Dagestan, although it was the senator who had long been the main sponsor of the hajj from the republic. The Hajj campaign, which Kerimov took upon himself, is, of course, a topic for a separate discussion. Since 2007, he has annually allocated money to send over 3 thousand pilgrims to holy places. Even a basic cross-calculation shows that we are talking about tens of millions of sponsorship rubles.

But over the past one and a half to two years, the influence of Suleiman Kerimov in his native republic has gradually recovered. First of all, he managed to establish full control over the Makhachkala airport after the bankruptcy of the Dagestan Airlines company. At the beginning of this year, the son of a billionaire became the main owner of the new company Makhachkala International Airport Said Kerimov. In addition, management close to Kerimov and the State Duma deputy Magomed Gadzhiev, managed to defend the Makhachkala sea trade port, blocking an attempt by Rosmorrechflot to install a convenient leader at the head of MMTP.

True, unlike the airport, which is developing quite successfully, the port was preserved at too high a price - an almost complete cessation of oil transshipment. Nevertheless, the current management of MMSP has finally completed the process of its corporatization, which had been shelved for many years, which means that the port is formally ready for privatization. Ramazan Abdulatipov clearly demonstrated his inability to resolve the conflict around the port, so a certain clarification of the situation around the port was expected with the appointment of the acting head of Dagestan Vladimir Vasiliev. But now Kerimov’s unexpected problems in France are once again confusing all the cards - it’s easy to assume that in his absence other interested forces will once again intensify the fight for the MMTP.

Another point where Kerimov’s absence could seriously affect the balance of power is his hometown of Derbent. From that man-made political crisis in Derbent, which Ramazan Abdulatipov initiated shortly before the celebration of his anniversary in 2015, it was Kerimov who emerged as the unexpected winner, who at the height of the events seemed to stand on the sidelines. But just a few days after the festive celebrations, it became known that the Minister of Labor of Dagestan would become the new mayor of Derbent Malik Bagliev, who is considered a fairly close relative of the billionaire.

Suleiman Kerimov consolidated this political success last year during the elections of State Duma deputies and the new convocation of the People's Assembly of Dagestan. At first, without much difficulty (and, most importantly, without much scandal) he managed to get his protege into the Duma Abdulgamida Emirgamzaeva, and then achieve his next reappointment to the Federation Council. Although at the time of Ramazan Abdulatipov’s arrival, the prospects for Kerimov retaining the post of senator were, to put it mildly, not obvious, including due to the presence of foreign assets. But Kerimov transferred beneficial rights to his business assets to the Suleyman Kerimov Foundation, a charitable foundation, and this gave him formal grounds to comply with the tightened legal standards for officials.

The current situation poses very difficult challenges for Kerimov, even for a recognized master of multi-board play. Now his first priority is the court in France. At the same time, the unanimous position of Kerimov’s colleagues in the structures of the Russian government does not at all exclude the fact that among them there are no people who have plans for his assets. The details of the next multi-move, as usual, will be hidden, given Kerimov’s fundamentally non-public position. But the development of events around his Dagestan interests will make it possible to judge quite definitely what kind of remote influence on processes in the republic (and not only) he can have. ]§[

What will Dagestanis lose if the oligarch leaves?

Caucasian media today are discussing the possible refusal of the acting. Deputy Prime Minister of the Dagestani government Oleg Lipatov from his post and his possible return to Moscow. The intrigue is that Lipatov is a man from Suleiman Kerimov’s team.

He was appointed deputy prime minister of the Dagestan cabinet shortly before the resignation of Magomedsalam Magomedov. And before that, he headed Suleiman Kerimov’s Nafta-Moscow company. It was assumed that in Dagestan Lipatov would be involved in attracting investments into the republic.

However, today, with the change of power, the question has arisen not only of Lipatov’s departure, but also of the curtailment of Suleiman Kerimov’s investment and social projects in Dagestan. Will such a turn affect the republic and the lives of ordinary people - in the answers of Dagestan experts.

Rumors about departure

Thus, the other day, the Caucasian Knot reported, citing a source close to businessman Suleiman Kerimov, that the acting deputy chairman of the government of Dagestan, Oleg Lipatov, resigned from his position and flew to Moscow.

As the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learned from unofficial sources, shortly after the appointment of Ramazan Abdulatipov as acting head of Dagestan, Lipatov flew to Kerimov for a consultation.

“If Lipatov really refused to work in the new government, this is obviously due to the fact that he did not find mutual understanding with the new leadership of the republic on the main directions - the construction of the “New City” and the privatization of the Makhachkala airport - that is, those two tasks for the solution of which he was sent to the republic by Suleiman Kerimov,” says economic observer of the Dagestan weekly “New Business” Andrei Melamedov.

However, the administration of the head of the republic did not confirm this information at that time. Dagestan analyst, editor-in-chief of the weekly “Present Time” Milrad Fatullaev, however, believes that Lipatov’s departure can still be spoken of as a fait accompli.

Curtailment of investments

According to Milrad Fatullaev, Lipatov’s departure was predictable. Experts foresaw his resignation. The first evidence of a different attitude towards him on the part of the new government is that his position was demoted from first deputy prime minister to acting. an “ordinary” deputy prime minister.

“According to the information I have, he flew to Moscow for a consultation with Suleiman Kerimov on February 12. After these consultations, it was decided that he would leave the new government of Abdulatipov,” Fatullayev tells Caucasian Politics.

“I explain this by the fact that, most likely, there is no continuity in those investment projects that were started under Magomedsalam Magomedov. Let us remember that then we were talking about work to attract investments and supervise on-site implementation of Kerimov’s projects,” the expert noted.

This is the modernization of the Makhachkala Uytash airport, the Makhachkala sea trade port, the construction of a modern Caspian sheet glass plant, etc. “The departure of Oleg Lipatov will seriously affect the prospects for their implementation,” Fatullaev noted.

However, I believe that the decision to terminate the implementation of investment projects will be made by Kerimov only if the political situation in Dagestan changes. “And it is changing,” the expert notes.

He draws attention to the fact that the team that is forming around Ramazan Abdulatipov and Kerimov’s team are different groups that support different politicians. And since most of Dagestan’s assets end up in the hands of Ramazan Abdulatipov’s team, this could lead to a halt in Kerimov’s projects.

Project "Anji"

However, Kerimov is not only a business, but also social projects. We addressed our questions regarding Suleiman Kerimov’s support for sports projects, primarily the Anzhi football team, to the deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Youth of Dagestan Albert Mehtikhanov:

What do you think the support of Anzhi by Suleiman Kerimov gave to Dagestan and the Dagestan youth?

It has given a lot, a strong football team has emerged that glorifies Dagestan. Both within the Russian championship, and now on the international stage. In addition, we know how much the popularity of football has increased.

In Dagestan, now in every courtyard, on every artificial field, everywhere where young people gather, they play football. It’s clear that not everyone will become a star like Samuel Eto’o.

But even when friends just get together and play football, it means health, clean air, a healthy lifestyle, they don’t smoke or drink. In fact, football is now very popular in Dagestan, young people gather, play there, play here, in free areas.

Many artificial fields were laid around the city in different places. Everywhere, from morning to evening, young people play football. “Anji” Suleiman Kerimov is like a star for them, whose example they follow. Some new, positive guideline.

If such support suddenly stops, what could this lead to?

"Anji" will again become an ordinary, average, small club. “Anji” will no longer fight for big goals, and viewer interest will drop greatly. It is clear that without the support of Suleiman Kerimov, Anzhi will not have those opportunities.

Maybe it won’t return to the second division, but it will drop to 15th place in the Russian Premier League. This won't make anyone happy.

Is it necessary to bring Dagestan football to the all-Russian level at such a cost?

There are no other recipes in football. As practice shows, all the strongest clubs both in the world and in Russia are clubs that have a good budget. In football, the results are made by the masters, and they cost a lot of money, and they need to be paid a good salary.

There is not a single example of teams with small budgets becoming champions. You can't win anything in football with two pennies. Just as you can’t start a big business without start-up capital and professionals, you can’t win in football without a budget and professionals.

Social projects and charity

In addition to sports projects, Suleiman Kerimov also became known for his support of numerous social projects in Dagestan - helping the seriously ill, the poor, sending believers on the Hajj.

The head of the Nadezhda Charitable Foundation, Timur Gadzhizharaev, tells us about the scale of this assistance, its specifics and whether the population of Dagestan will feel its cessation:

To what extent did Suleiman Kerimov and his Foundation support social projects in Dagestan to help those in need?

As for the charitable activities of Suleiman Kerimov and his Foundation to help those in need, this help was clearly not advertised or advertised. People know little about this help. Because this was done unsystematically, somehow fragmentarily, somehow individually.

There are rumors that this one was helped, that one... He did it without covering this work in the media at all. As a result, few people in the republic know about his social projects. This has both a minus and a plus. The plus is that he, I hope, did it sincerely, for the people, without thinking about PR.

But the downside is that if you approach charity unsystematically, it turns out that a lot of people profit from it, who feed around charity and warm their hands on it.

Therefore, if if Kerimov’s activity in Dagestan curtails, such assistance to people stops, I think the broad masses will not notice this. But at the same time, the Suleiman Kerimov Foundation helped seriously ill children a lot. But this work went on without Kerimov’s connection to Dagestan. This work, I am sure, will continue in the future.

But again, if we compare Kerimov’s approach to promoting Anzhi, in which he invested fabulous amounts of money, and his approach to charity, the comparison is clearly not in favor of social projects.

This is not only the problem of Suleiman Kerimov, this is generally the problem of many businessmen, the fact that they are slightly underperforming socially. This is probably due to the lack of local personnel and specialists who could take responsibility. This is probably the problem.

For example, take his approach to Anzhi. We see that all resources were connected here: management, financing, PR, training, etc. It was a powerful PR move. Few are able to appreciate this move and its significance for Dagestan.

But at the same time, there is an ambiguous and ambivalent attitude towards the Anji project in Dagestan. Because many Dagestanis reproach him for pumping so much money into one project. People say, “It would be better if he helped his people”, “It would be better if he helped the youth get an education”...

But what about the high-profile programs of the Suleiman Kerimov Foundation to send Dagestani believers to the Hajj? Isn't this advertising?

As for the Hajj, that’s a different question. It is difficult to overestimate what Kerimov is doing for Dagestani believers. This is very important for Dagestanis. How many people were sent to the Hajj at his expense - these are thousands and thousands of people.

People appreciate this very much. That is why Dagestanis, among whom there is a high percentage of believers, know Kerimov precisely because of his support for Hajj issues. But again, let's return to the issue of efficiency.

If Suleiman Kerimov and other businessmen of his level, in helping their people, used the same technologies for achieving guaranteed success that are used in business, this would give more to people and the younger generation and the entire republic...

Will the common people feel Kerimov's departure from the republic if this happens?

I think this question would not have arisen at all if all of Kerimov’s programs in Dagestan had been effectively implemented locally and the work had been clearly defined. Then this question would not even be raised today.

Signing of a contract between Caspian Flat Glass Plant OJSC and Indotherm Furnaces & Engineers

Take his project for the Caspian Glass Factory. I was recently at the presentation of this project. This project has a powerful social significance. Of course, Kerimov understands that there is no way to make big money at this glass factory.

This project is, first of all, job creation. This is precisely a social project. Therefore, Dagestan really needs the funds of such rich people as Suleiman Kerimov. Another question is that they do not have enough people, management resources, and local professionals to ensure that these funds are used with maximum benefit for people.

The glass factory project is being implemented by Englishman Jeremy Tindall. He has been leading this project in Dagestan for two years now. I asked him about the human resources potential of Dagestan in light of the implementation of this project.

He answered in the spirit that everyone likes to blame for the lack of personnel. It’s as if the frames are mushrooms growing on their own after the rain. Personnel is a difficult product, the result of serious, great work.

According to him, the most effective investment is investing in human resources. I did not notice this understanding among the Dagestan oligarchs. There is little investment in people. We have a bunch of universities here in Makhachkala, which educate just zeros who come out of there.

It goes on and on. And therefore, creating enterprises without developing personnel is throwing money away. The foreigner’s answers are right on point. Again, the problem is that there is a lack of understanding on the ground, in government, in society.

In addition, Suleiman Kerimov is a very private figure. We actually don’t see him speaking, speaking or communicating with the Dagestani people anywhere. I think this is his weak side.

He receives virtually no information about the needs of the common people. Ordinary people do not know what their tasks are. But it is in communication that people get to know each other, each other’s problems and interact more effectively. It is this communication and interaction that Kerimov and other Dagestan businessmen lack.

The Dagestanis entertain hopes that he will switch to this model of work. That he will rely on Dagestan youth and will invest in human resources. And it won’t take long to wait; it will quickly bear fruit.

By the way, when we talked with Jeremy, he said: “Your businessmen love to talk about everything: about cars, about projects, about technology, but they never talk about people, and that’s their biggest problem.”

Expert skepticism

And finally, we will again give the floor to Milrad Fatullaev. In his commentary to Caucasian Politics, he noted that, according to some sources, Suleiman Kerimov himself gave instructions that projects already being implemented should be continued.

This concerns primarily two socially significant projects - a glass factory in Kaspiysk and the Anzhi football club. According to the expert, we can count on the Anji project to continue to exist.

Moreover, quite recently another famous football player was bought, and this happened when it was known that Magomedov would retire. “This means that there are no plans to liquidate the club; as far as I know, this project has been agreed upon with the Kremlin,” he notes.

According to him, until these agreements are revised, financing of Anji will continue. “But on the other hand, if we remember what kind of policy Mukhu Aliyev pursued regarding Kerimov’s projects, then we can assume that some obstacles will be created today,” writes Fatullayev.

According to him, under the first president of Dagestan, Kerimov had a project that planned to create sports bases from Kizlyar to Derbent, there were projects to build hotels and stadiums so that the republic could take part in the World Cup in 2018.

“But these projects were not implemented because they were actively opposed by Mukhu Aliyev. It is possible that the same thing will happen now,” Milrad Fatullayev notes with skepticism.

Material prepared by Diana Ramazanova and Ilyas Bukarov

Information and Analytical Center FLNKA

] For six months there was nothing similar on the Internet. Kerimov was somehow not touched; he remained a figure of silence. A professional press service, you say. Loot conquers evil, we answer. Kerimov’s guys brought money to anyone who would take it, placing blocks in his name on the Internet and in Moscow newspapers. But elections are a different story. First there were publications about Surkov’s trip with Abdulaev to his New Year’s holiday at Nafta Moscow. It was nice to see how articles about this appeared and disappeared from computer monitors. For example, why does Vladislav Surkov visit oligarch Kerimov? . Then there were articles about his trips to bow to Medvedev in Sochi in order to promote his candidates for the post of president of our republic. For example, Why didn’t Suleiman Kerimov go to Courchevel.
The headlines did not please with variety, the texts were also simple and had one goal - to tell about what the newspapers would not write. In theory, the texts can still be found online. But why? Let some moral monsters write articles, other moral monsters “take them down.” They receive their stars for their shoulder straps or p**dyles from their bosses.
Today is a new act in the fight against our world's richest senator. The text is unique. The name, however, should have been different. We offer "KERIMOV, REPENT!" (copyright "Wings of Dagestan", drag your money black PR sharks - we improve your texts, we increase your citation rate)

So, text, on stage!

http://versii.com/news/197979/">

Derbent sufferer

When Suleiman Kerimov sits at night in his mansion on Staromonetny Lane, he dreams of Makhachkala and Derbent. For ten years he has been waiting for reciprocity from his native Dagestan and does not find it. Greedy and thieving “compatriots” who feed on his mercy do not count. They have no faith. When, choking from pain, he lay in intensive care on the Cote d'Azur, no one, not one of them thought about him. All these servants - partners, deputies, bandits - were already dividing his money.

No, this flock led by the “Dollar’s ​​mongrel” is not at all the Dagestan he dreams of. The billionaire who conquered Moscow and bought its beauties wants true love from his homeland, but cannot achieve it.

That's why he's depressed again, that's why his life hasn't really worked out. At such hours, his subordinates are afraid to look into his office.

But from the outside it seems: he lives in a fairy tale. Any business projects become gold if Kerimov touches them. He is very rich by the standards of Dagestan, and in all of Russia few people can compare their wallets with him. He wanted to become rich like King Croesus and have 100 billion, but he became lonely like King Midas, because you can’t eat gold and you can’t buy happiness with it.

He really needs power to prove everything. And not the cardboard power of a State Duma deputy. This is for idiots for whom flashy federal license plates on government limousines warm their souls. This is for the jackals who are ready to sell their selfish little soul to anyone, just to move to Moscow, closer to Sheremetyevo-2. Kerimov understood everything about such “power” long ago. Even when he bought a deputy mandate in 1999 from the cynical “son of a lawyer” Zhirinovsky. He quickly became disillusioned with the gatherings on Okhotny Ryad, and after six months he stopped going there altogether.

And now Kerimov would not have become a senator if three years ago his security officer acquaintances had not hinted: there was a recommendation to send him “to prison.” Then I had to go to Mukhu Aliyev - ask for protection and humiliate myself. The old man took pity on him and issued a pass to Bolshaya Dmitrovka, where investigators from the Prosecutor General’s Office have no access. He put Kerimov in a car with a flashing light - “drive, just don’t forget what Dagestan did for you.”

Kerimov later did not forgive this pity, did not keep his oath, and was the first to go against his grandfather. Fate took revenge on Kerimov for this - hope for the presidency of Dagestan again fled from him.
But the most important thing for Kerimov is his homeland, this is Derbent. This is his point of strength. Only here can he prove everything to himself. This was explained to him by the cunning astrologer Pavel Globa, who cannot be trusted. It was he who predicted to Suleiman that on that terrible day he should be afraid of the car. That’s why he didn’t drive his Ferrari like he was used to, that’s why he survived, even though he was burned.

Dagestan is not given to him. The desired power is running away from Kerimov, hiding behind the doors of Kremlin offices, mockingly making faces from the pages of newspapers and the TV screen. This mental torment that he can no longer get rid of. It’s not for nothing that people around him say in a whisper that he is not a patriot of Dagestan - he is a “patrophile”, his desire to own the republic is pathological in nature.

Where did he go wrong? It seems like I did everything right. He studied correctly, got married correctly, built his business and relationships correctly, and sent his spent partners “retired” correctly. When I first thought about becoming president of the republic ten years ago, I immediately took it seriously.

In those years, Dagestan was ruled by the clan of Magomedali Magomedov for the second ten years. This was a leader of the old school, who placed his people everywhere, holding every thread in Dagestan in his hands. Such a person would not simply give power to anyone, except perhaps his son Magomedsalam.

Suleiman Kerimov fought with him for five years. Although there was a moment when the long-lived president saved him from the wrath of the terrible Said Amirov. The warriors of the almighty mayor of Makhachkala were already standing at Suleiman’s door; reprisal was close. And no one stood up for young Kerimov or defended him. Only the experienced Magomedali Magomedov could solve the issue and did. Amir’s nukers “move away” from the careless billionaire. But Kerimov has no place for gratitude in his soul, it’s empty. And again he betrayed his oath and went against the elder.

At first, the federal government had no time to deal with Dagestan and Kerimov’s ambitions - it was hot in Chechnya. But Putin was re-elected for a second term and it became clear that Magomedov would soon have to leave. How Suleiman flew on wings then. He believed and waited: they would call him to the kingdom. They didn't call. His takeover of the Razvitie holding turned out to be very loud. He miscalculated that time. Under Vladimir Vladimirovich, Moscow has become unaccustomed to “shooters.” And when two hundred Kerimov’s fighters with bats and reinforcement stormed the office in Granatny Lane, the Kremlin became seriously tense about it. Gang violence two kilometers from Red Square was no longer approved. As a result, Mukha Aliyev was then appointed president. It turned out that Kerimov tried for something else. Punished his life for wrong actions.

Now, however, Kerimov would not go against Magomedali. Now he knows how close their views are, like his father. Eh, if Magomedali had had a son like Suleiman, if Kerimov had had a father like Magomedov - all of Dagestan would have trembled, power would not have been given to anyone. But Magomedov has his own son, Magomedsalam, and Kerimov has to help him run for president. Here it is, the irony of fate.
And then there was an accident. And for almost a year he could not work at full capacity. His “friends” say that at that time Kerimov’s business “floated.” But even then he did not forget about Dagestan. Tried to be friends with Aliyev. He promised to build factories. Worked for the future. But he didn’t build factories, he quarreled with Aliyev, and he never earned respect in the republic. Of course, there was envy among fellow countrymen of Kerimov’s billions. But this is completely different.
Then he decided to follow his usual path of “mergers and acquisitions.” I didn’t spare any money for this. “I took it” everywhere I could, both in Moscow and Dagestan. To Old Square and Banny Lane. In Okhotny Ryad - actually, I bought a standing Dagestan cell. Everything here was familiar to him. And soon Kremlin officials flocked to Kerimov’s luxurious corporate parties, and as a return favor they organized meetings for Suleiman with the guarantor of the constitution himself.
In Dagestan it was more difficult. There are relationships here. Kerimov, although rich, is some kind of stranger, especially since he quarreled with his relatives (for the Caucasus this is a diagnosis). They can, of course, take the money, but this does not guarantee anything. We had to buy supporters indiscriminately, whoever we had. According to the principle of Boris Berezovsky, who in 2003 recruited swindlers, bandits and schizophrenics into the anti-Putin opposition. Anyone who agreed to accept money from his hands.

So Kerimov’s “party of money suckers” gathered from the pine forest. Some heads of districts, some deputies of the People's Assembly, some people's judges, some “forest brothers”. Everything is flavorful.
It was more offensive when they didn’t take it. So, Mukha Aliyev sent his chief road worker Magomedrasul Omarov, who came to him from Kerimov with 50 million dollars, so that the president would not interfere with Suleiman in deciding the fate of Dagestan in Moscow.
To fuel the Kremlin’s desire for “change” in Dagestan, Kerimov orchestrated the elections in Derbent last year. Residents of the city itself were in no hurry to help the billionaire, although they paid them exorbitant amounts of money for the republic for their votes. We had to hire extras from all the southern regions of Dagestan and transport them on buses a hundred kilometers away. And again, his fighters, under the command of Kerimov’s main assistant, Magomed Gadzhiev, “Fixies,” destroyed and stormed. So much so that Derbent overnight became a world-famous center of armed struggle for democracy. He also wanted to make noise in the North, but Saigidpasha Umakhanov did not allow it, he said “this is a bad thing for Dagestan” and sent Kerimov’s henchmen home.
A great cry arose around Derbent. Everyone immediately began to see off Mukha Aliyev’s retirement. And again Kerimov went too far. Politics is not business. I should have been more subtle. United Russia did not include him in the list of contenders for the coveted place. And it was not him, but the Siberian Khloponin who was appointed to the position of responsible for the Caucasus.

Suleiman Kerimov is suffering now: his dream has not come true. Again they gave him a cruel dismissal, like a boy in love. How happy is he that he managed to come to an agreement with two candidates from the list of the party in power? There is special attention now to the Caucasus. You can’t go to Khloponin with money. He himself is not a poor guy and he has his own dream. Khloponin will not play other people’s games now. So, I agreed, I didn’t agree, it’s still not fate to steer as much as I wanted.

So Kerimov sits in his office at night. The driver and security are waiting for him. An armored limousine is parked. The press service does not go home - it is looking for an answer on the Internet as to why it is not possible to seduce Dagestan.

And the answer is simple. If you are surrounded not by friends, but by a pack, if instead of good deeds for the republic you have “deeds”, if you responded with ingratitude to everyone who helped you, then all this will come back to you. Boomerang. And no magicians or sorcerers will help you hide from this, and no “friends” with the faces of murderers will help you avoid this. Only by understanding that the true value and meaning of life are honest, correct actions will Suleiman be able to cure his mental illness and return to his homeland as a worthy son.

The departure of Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Lipatov from the government of Dagestan will not lead to the cessation of the implementation of economic projects in the region associated with Senator Suleiman Kerimov. This opinion was expressed by economist Ullubiy Erbolatov (Makhakchkala) in a conversation with REGNUM news agency. Let us recall that on March 1, the press service of the acting President of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov announced the resignation of Lipatov from the government of Dagestan. Lipatov was appointed to the post of first deputy prime minister of the Republic of Dagestan by decree of the head of the region, Magomedsalam Magomedov, in December 2012. Before that, for a long time he served as general director of the Nafta-Moscow company, associated with the senator from Dagestan Suleiman Kerimov. After the resignation of Magomedov and the appointment of Ramazan Abdulatipov as acting president of Dagestan, Lipatov received the post of acting in the new government. deputy chairman, however, according to regional media reports, already in the first half of February he left Dagestan for Moscow. A number of Dagestan analysts predicted that Lipatov’s departure would have a negative impact on projects being implemented in Dagestan with Kerimov’s participation, such as the construction of the Caspian sheet glass plant, the possible privatization of the Makhachkala Uytash airport and others. “With the change in the leadership of Dagestan, undoubtedly, certain changes are taking place, and in personnel policy too. But I don’t think that the current leadership of Dagestan, including Abdulatipov, wants to spoil relations with Suleiman Kerimov. Lipatov left on his own, and in fact, his resignation did not take place for two weeks accepted. Until the last moment they hoped that he would withdraw his statement. The point is not about Lipatov himself, but about the need for further cooperation with the structures of Suleiman Kerimov," Erbolatov noted. “Let me remind you that when Lipatov was appointed at the end of last year, many were surprised: how could a man who manages billions in Moscow suddenly come to the post of deputy prime minister in a troubled republic?” the expert said. “Perhaps some of Kerimov’s projects will now be suspended. But old projects, in particular the Anzhi Arena - a huge sports complex of the European level, will be completed. This is natural, since Kerimov continues to sponsor the Anzhi football club. By the way, the creation of such infrastructure will provide an opportunity for development mass sports". “I would like to recall the statement of Ramazan Abdulatipov that for Dagestan today a thousand small businessmen are more important than a few oligarchs. But, unfortunately, there is no government support for the development of entrepreneurship. Dagestanis, of course, are very proactive people. Even if you walk around Makhachkala, you can see how many private enterprises, salons, cafes, and hairdressers are open. In other regions of the North Caucasus there is not even close to such a number. All this indicates that people go to small and medium-sized businesses, but they often develop not thanks to some conditions created by the state, but in spite of them. Of course, this activity needs to be stimulated. But we cannot refuse large investment projects that the brothers Magomed and Ziyatudin Magomedov, and Kerimov can implement. Small business is one thing, but large projects can become locomotives that allow us to make a breakthrough in the socio-economic development of the republic,” Erbolatov believes.

Suleiman Kerimov is a Russian entrepreneur, co-owner of a number of large companies, shareholder of Uralkali, member of the Federation Council from Dagestan.

On January 30, 2018, Suleiman Kerimov, as a Russian oligarch with a fortune of more than a billion dollars, was included in the so-called “Kremlin list” compiled by the US Treasury at the request of a new law on countering opponents of this country .

Political activity

In December 1999, Suleiman Kerimov became a deputy of the Russian State Duma of the third convocation on the federal list of the Zhirinovsky Bloc electoral bloc, joining the Security Committee.

On December 7, 2003, Suleiman Kerimov was elected to the State Duma of the fourth convocation on the federal list of the LDPR electoral association. In the State Duma, he joined the LDPR faction and took the post of deputy chairman of the committee on physical culture and sports, and was also included in the security committee.

In April 2007, Suleiman Kerimov left the LDPR faction and became an independent deputy, and a week later he submitted an application to join the United Russia faction. On May 11, 2007, Kerimov became a member of the United Russia faction.

In December 2007, at the proposal of the speaker of the Dagestan parliament Magomed Suleymanov, Kerimov was unanimously elected as a representative of the People's Assembly of Dagestan in the Federation Council. In February 2008, the upper house of the Russian parliament confirmed his powers.

Business

In October 1998, Suleiman Kerimov, for $50 million, acquired 55% of its shares from the management of the investment company OJSC Nafta-Moscow - the heiress of Soyuznefteexport, an oil trading monopolist that exported 200 million tons of oil and petroleum products annually during Soviet times. The company was going through difficult times - after the August crisis of 1998, Nafta-Moskva's money was stuck in several collapsed banks, debts amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, and management led by former Deputy Minister of Oil and Gas Industry Anatoly Kolotilin had to put Nafta-Moskva up for sale . Over the course of a year (according to other sources, one and a half years), Kerimov increased his stake in the company’s shares to 100%.

In June 2000, Nafta-Moscow bought the company Varyeganneftegaz, a subsidiary of SIDANCO, in respect of which bankruptcy proceedings were initiated.

At the end of 2003 and 2004, Nafta began buying land in the Moscow region on Novorizhskoye Highway. On these lands it was planned to build 2.7 million square meters of luxury housing and entertainment complexes. The cost of the project was estimated at $3 billion. The project was named: the private city "Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye". By 2006, it already occupied 430 hectares of land.

In July 2005, Kerimov, together with Deripaska and Abramovich, acquired a stake in the state oil company Rosneft (the company that at the end of 2004 bought the former subsidiary of the Yukos oil company, Yuganskneftegaz).

In 2005, the Nafta-Moscow company became one of the sponsors of the Russian Football Union and the general sponsor of the Russian national freestyle wrestling team. In November 2005, the President of the International Federation of United Styles of Wrestling (FILA) Rafael Martinetti presented Suleiman Kerimov with one of the most prestigious awards - the “Golden Order”.

At the end of 2005, Nafta bought the Polymetal company, which occupies a leading position in Russia in terms of silver production and second place in gold production, for $900 million.

On May 24, 2006, Suleiman Kerimov was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Wrestling Federation. According to the president of the federation, Mikheil Mamiashvili, the decision to establish the Board of Trustees and appoint its head was made because long-term interaction with state sports governing bodies and large national business structures has become crucial for the effective implementation of the tasks facing the federation.

In February 2006, Kerimov decided to turn Nafta-Moskva into a full-fledged investment company, turning it into a leading private equity fund.

On November 21, 2006, the Nafta-Moscow company and the Moscow government announced the creation of OJSC United Hotel Company (OGK), to which the shares of more than 20 hotels on the city’s balance sheet (including Balchug, Metropol) were to be transferred , "National" and "Radisson-Slavyanskaya"). The authorized capital of the new company was to be at least $2 billion: 49% was to belong to the city, 51% to Nafta-Moscow. However, at the end of January 2007, the Moscow government announced its intention to interrupt the joint hotel business with the Nafta-Moscow company. According to officials, the reason for terminating the contract with Kerimov was an accurate assessment of the shareholdings of municipal hotels, which established that the total value of the assets of all Moscow hotels (which were to be included in the OGK) amounted to almost $7 billion.

In the fall of 2007, Suleiman Kerimov unexpectedly began to sell off his Russian assets: the first company to be sold was Metronom AG (operator of the Mercado supermarket chain). In April 2008, it became known that Kerimov had agreed to sell National Telecommunications to the National Media Group. From January to May 2008, through the mediation of foreign banks Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, S. Kerimov sold large blocks of shares in Sberbank and Gazprom (according to unofficial information, in total the Nafta-Moscow company owned 6% of the shares of Sberbank and 4.5 % shares of Gazprom).

According to experts, Suleiman Kerimov's fortune in 2007 was $14.4 billion. According to the Forbes magazine rating, Kerimov took 35th place in the list of the richest people in the world.

In the second half of May 2008, Polymetal officially announced that Suleiman Kerimov was negotiating the sale of his stake in the company. In addition, Kerimov planned to sell the elite village Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye, which is under construction. The businessman invested the freed funds in foreign financial institutions - as of June 2008, he had already acquired about 3% of the shares of Deutsche Bank, as well as securities of Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and UBS.

However, since February 2009, publications about Kerimov’s acquisitions in Russia have appeared in the media. It was reported that his Nafta-Moscow became the owner of 75% of Glavstroy SPb (the construction division of Deripaska’s Basic Element). In the same month, it became known that the Moscow government offered Nafta-Moskva a controlling stake in Dekmos OJSC, which was engaged in the construction of the Moscow Hotel.

In March 2009, Kommersant reported that the owner of the Interros holding, Vladimir Potanin, was selling 22% of the shares of Polyus Gold OJSC to Kerimov's structures. In June, the leadership of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) announced that the purchase of a stake in Polyus Gold by Kerimov's company had been approved by the government commission on foreign investment. In July 2009, when Polyus Gold revealed its ownership structure, it became known that Kerimov is the beneficiary of 36.88% of the company's shares: it was reported that he controls this stake through Wandle Holdings Limited.

In April 2009, one of the country's largest developers - the PIK group of companies - officially admitted that Nafta-Moscow had received 25% of its shares and submitted a petition to the FAS to purchase another 20% of PIK. And in August 2009, it became known that in 2008 the Nafta Co group of companies became the owner of almost 100% of CJSC Trading House TSVUM (Voentorg).

Shareholder of Uralkali

In June 2010, Kerimov became the owner of 25 percent of the shares of the world's sixth largest producer of potash fertilizers, Uralkali OJSC, whose main shareholder was Dmitry Rybolovlev. According to experts, he paid $2.5 billion for a blocking stake in the company.

September 2, 2013 Investigative Committee of Belarus put Suleiman Kerimov on the wanted list. Kerimov’s actions were qualified by the investigation as an organization of abuse of power and official authority (clause 4 of article 16 and part 3 of article 424 of the Criminal Code). According to the Investigative Committee of Belarus, a number of managers of the Belarusian Potash Company (a joint venture of Uralkali and Belaruskali) implemented a scheme that caused damage to the interests of Belarus in the amount of $100 million. Investigators suggest that some time before Uralkali broke off cooperation with Belaruskali, managers of the Belarusian Potash Company, secretly from the Belarusian side, provided buyers with discounts and broke lucrative contracts in order to then re-sign them with Uralkali.

On September 3, the Russian bureau of Interpol received information from the organization’s Central Office about the international wanted list for the senator from Dagestan Suleiman Kerimov.

Owner of Anji

In January 2011, at a meeting between Kerimov and the President of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov was taken transfer decision under the control of the senator of the Dagestan football club "Anzhi" (Makhachkala), which enabled the club to acquire such famous players as Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea London), Roberto Carlos (Corinthians Sao Paulo), Balazs Dzsudzsak, Eindhoven (PSV "Netherlands), Odil Akhmedov ("Pakhtakor" Uzbekistan), Mubarak Boussoufa ("Anderlecht" Belgium) and the main acquisition - the purchase in August 2011 from the Milanese "Internationale" of the Cameroonian super-forward Samuel Eto'o. In December 2016, Kerimov transferred FC Anji to the new owner Osman Kadiev.

VTB shareholder

In February 2011, Kerimov acquired about 1.5 percent of the shares of the state-owned VTB Bank for $500 million, becoming its largest private shareholder.

In March 2011, Kerimov took part in the elections to the People's Assembly of Dagestan as part of the United Russia list. On March 31, 2011, the new composition of the Dagestan parliament reaffirmed Kerimov as a senator.

In 2013, Suleiman Kerimov took 20th place in the ranking of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia according to Forbes. His fortune is estimated at $7.1 billion. Kerimov owns large blocks of shares in a number of Russian enterprises - Uralkali (18.1%), VTB (6%), Polyus Gold (40.2%), PIK (47%).

Lawsuits

On April 14, 2015, it was reported that the Nicosia District Court froze some of the assets of Suleiman Kerimov at the suit of entrepreneur Ashot Yeghiazaryan, who was seeking compensation for the costs of building a hotel in the center of Moscow. According to the decision of the London Court of International Arbitration (01/13/2015), Kerimov was ordered to pay Yeghiazaryan $250 million, but the first tranche was not paid in November 2014. The exact list of frozen assets is not known. One of the newspaper's sources claimed, citing a court decision, that the list, among other things, includes shares of Polyus Gold, as well as the Cinema Park cinema chain (formally its owner is the son of businessman Said Kerimov) and FC Anzhi.

Accident in France

On November 25, 2006, Suleiman Kerimov was in a car accident in France, in Nice. The Ferrari Enzo car (worth 675 thousand euros), in which Suleiman Kerimov, together with the TV presenter of the STS channel Tina Kandelaki, was driving along the embankment, crashed into a tree and caught fire. Kerimov was taken to the De la Timone specialized hospital in Marseille with severe burns. According to eyewitnesses of the accident, he managed to get out of the car himself and tried to knock out the flames from his clothes. Kandelaki suffered less damage - she was taken to the Saint-Roch hospital and was discharged the same day.

On January 24, 2007, after long-term treatment at the Queen Astrid military hospital in Brussels, Kerimov returned to Moscow and began work.

Arrest in France

In November 2017, Suleiman Kerimov was detained by French police in Nice on tax evasion charges. According to the police, Kerimov committed these actions through real estate fraud. The judge decided to launch an investigation against Suleiman Kerimov, as well as a bail of 5 million euros, according to which the senator was released. At the same time, the court decided that Kerimov must surrender his passport, cannot leave the Alpes-Maritimes department, and must also regularly report to the police.

According to French laws, tax evasion and money laundering can be punished with imprisonment for up to ten years, but, as practice shows, the case may not come to trial if the defendant compensates for the damage caused.

On November 28, 2017, Nice prosecutor Jean-Michel Prétre said that an appeal had been filed against Kerimov's release on bail, since the prosecutor's office considers it necessary for the Russian businessman to be in pre-trial detention.

On December 4, 2017, Nice prosecutor Jean-Michel Prétre accused Kerimov of importing between 500 million and 750 million euros into France for the purpose of money laundering.

Charity

In October 2009, Suleiman Kerimov financed a trip to Moscow for the Yakubov family from the Kizlyar region of Dagestan, on the body of whose nine-month-old son, Ali, in an unknown way lines from the Koran appear.

Kerimov is a regular at Moscow bohemian clubs. He enjoys hosting lavish social events, parties with pop stars, and sailing on his own yacht, Ice, off the coast of Spain (built at the Lürssen shipyard in Bremen, Germany; this four-deck vessel is 90 meters long). Suleiman Kerimov's personal aircraft is the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 737-700 - a luxuriously finished medium-haul passenger airliner with a non-stop flight range of up to 12,000 km (in the standard commercial configuration, the Boeing 737 carries more than 100 passengers, but in the BBJ modification it takes on board only 16 people , and on board there is an office, a shower room and a bedroom).

Marital status: wife Firuza is the daughter of a high-ranking Dagestan official. The family has three children - a son and two daughters.

Hajj according to Kerimov's program

Suleiman Kerimov is involved in charity work, donating large sums to social events, in particular to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In April 2007, Kerimov donated $100 million for the construction of the Cathedral Mosque in Moscow, and in May of the same year he allocated funds to send 5 thousand Russians to the Hajj.

Every year the number of pilgrims going on Hajj to Mecca from Dagestan through the charity of Senator Suleiman Kerimov ranges from 2.5 to 3 thousand people. Their exact number depends on the general hajj quotas allocated to the republic. The charity project is carried out by the Marva-Tour company.

Biography

Born on March 12, 1966 in the city of Derbent (according to other sources - in the village of Karakyure, Dokuzparinsky district) of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. By nationality - Lezgin. Father is a lawyer, worked in the criminal investigation department; mother is an accountant at Sberbank of Russia. In his youth, Suleiman Kerimov was fond of judo and kettlebell lifting, and was a repeated champion of various championships.

After graduating from high school in Derbent in 1983 (certificate with honors, favorite subject - mathematics), he entered the construction department of the Dagestan Polytechnic Institute. In 1984, after completing the first year of the institute, Suleiman Kerimov was drafted into the army and completed compulsory military service in the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces (Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces), where he was a crew chief with the rank of senior sergeant. During his military service, Kerimov was the division champion in kettlebell lifting.

After being transferred to the reserve in 1986, Kerimov continued his studies at the Faculty of Economics of the Dagestan State University (DSU) named after. IN AND. Lenin, who graduated in 1989 with a degree in Accounting and Analysis of Economic Activities. In parallel with his studies, Kerimov served as deputy chairman of the trade union committee of the DSU.

In 1989-1995, Suleiman Kerimov worked in positions from economist to assistant general director for economic issues of the Eltav plant of the Ministry of Electronic Industry.

Since 1995, Suleiman Kerimov has been the general director of the investment company Soyuz-finance LLC (Moscow). This Moscow company worked in the domestic aviation business, raw materials industries and the banking sector. It was during this time (from 1995 to 1998) that Kerimov, according to media reports, earned his initial capital.

In April 1997, Kerimov became a researcher at the International Institute of Corporations (Moscow), and in February 1999 he was appointed vice president of this non-profit organization.

Notes

1. Officials and businessmen mentioned in the “Kremlin report”. Full list // RBC, 01/30/2018.
2. The Federation Council received 14 billion // Newspaper, 02.20.2008.
3. Suleiman Kerimov hands over packages // Kommersant, 06.16.2008.
4. Kerimov, Suleiman. Member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Dagestan, owner of the Nafta-Moscow company // Lenta.Ru.
5. Suleiman Kerimov handed over the Anzhi football club to the new owner // RBC, 12/29/2016.
6. Suleiman Kerimov is ready to testify in the Uralkali case // Forbes, 09/02/2013.
7. The Cyprus court froze some assets of Suleiman Kerimov // Interfax, 04/14/2015.
8. The car with Tina Kandelaki crashed into a tree // Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 27, 2006.
9. Russian lawmaker Kerimov detained by French police in tax evasion case // Reuters, 11/21/2017.
10. Suleiman Kerimov was charged with French taxes // Kommersant, 11/23/2017.
11. The Nice prosecutor's office filed an appeal against Kerimov's release on bail // TASS, November 28, 2017.
12. Billionaire Kerimov allegedly brought up to €750 million “in suitcases” to France // Forbes, 12/04/2017.
13. Billionaire and MP. Biography of Suleiman Kerimov // RIA Novosti, 06/07/2008.