Big swing for a budget
On Wednesday, October 4, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow, at the request of an investigator from the central apparatus of the Investigative Committee, placed the mayor of Kizilyurt and the ex-Minister of Sports of Dagestan under arrest until December 2 Magomed Magomedova, the court was told. He is accused of embezzlement or embezzlement committed by an organized group, as well as on an especially large scale (Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code). The maximum penalty under this article is up to ten years in prison.
The officials, and Mr. Magomedov headed the Ministry of Sports of Dagestan from September 2012 to May 2021, when he became the mayor of the city, were accused of theft of tens of millions of rubles allocated for various sporting events. According to Kommersant sources close to the investigation, this is only the beginning of the investigation into the alleged illegal actions of Mr. Magomedov. He will be checked for involvement in bribery, other thefts, and even connections with criminal authorities.
Halitbeg MakhachevThe day before, FSB officers detained 66-year-old Magomedov. The security forces are interested in his activities as Minister of Sports of Dagestan from 2012 to 2021. In April 2021, he became the head of Kizilyurt.
The Treasury of Dagestan in 2018 indicated that a year earlier the local Ministry of Sports purchased an official car, the cost of which exceeded the established standards by more than three times: instead of 500 thousand rubles, the car was purchased for 1.6 million. At the same time, the Accounts Chamber of Dagestan in 2018 and In 2020, she reported that there were no violations in the activities of the local Ministry of Sports.
But in 2019, the Accounts Chamber of Dagestan found underfunded positions in the region. In particular, funding for the costs of adjusting design estimates for the construction of a sports complex in Makhachkala in the amount of 9.9 million rubles, provided for by the Dagestan state program for the development of physical education and sports, was not provided. In 2020, Magomedov declared an annual income of just over 1.5 million rubles, a garden plot of 1.3 hectares and a residential building with an area of 969.6 square meters. m.
Immediately after the arrest, searches were carried out in Magomedov’s cottage, as well as at his place of work, a source familiar with the circumstances of the arrest told RBC. During the investigation, employee access to the city hall building was limited. Investigators seized all electronic storage media: flash drives, phones, computers. “All this will be sent to Moscow for examination,” the source said.
According to the source, the investigation will have to look into the official’s connections. “It is obvious that this will be followed by other arrests, since, according to the investigation, Magomedov was part of a regional corruption mechanism,” he added. Following the arrest of Magomedov, law enforcement officers interrogated and detained the head of the department of physical culture, sports and reserve training of the Ministry of Sports of Dagestan, Khalitbeg Makhachev.
A particularly large amount means that the investigation charges Magomedov with embezzlement of over a million rubles. The more detailed plot of the criminal case is still unknown. Lawyer Bogatyrev, in a conversation with Vedomosti, did not name the exact amount charged to his client, but noted that we are talking about embezzlement of just over a million rubles over a period of several years. […] If the ex-minister’s guilt is proven on the merits in court, Magomedov faces up to ten years in prison.
Investigators found an entire arsenal in his safes. Rifles, machine guns and ammunition for them. Some weapons are without documents. In the attic there is a billiard table, sports equipment, and a collection of 50 pairs of shoes. […] Magomed Magomedov was once one of the most respected Avars, the largest ethnic group in Dagestan. […] Law enforcement officers have information about Magomedov’s involvement not only in corruption. In the early 2000s, he collaborated with terrorists. According to our information, he may also be accused of aiding the former leader of the Dagestan bandit underground, Ibragim Gadzhidadaev. The official took criminals into his personal security and actually created a whole gang of thugs.
In addition to office equipment and documents, illegally stored weapons and a collection of expensive watches were found in Magomedov’s mansion, the source said.
Law enforcement officers found documents in the mansion that confirm Magomedov’s participation in the crimes.
Watch collection of Magomed MagomedovHe also said that the head of Kizilyurt was brought to Moscow in compliance with maximum precautions: he was transported by helicopter. The interlocutor noted that the security forces were faced with the task of quickly removing Magomedov from the region so that he would not have time to connect administrative resources and put pressure on the investigation and possible witnesses. After Magomedov was detained in Dagestan celebration canceled 60th anniversary of Kizilyurt. The city administration cited the lack of festive mood as the reason for the cancellation.
What is known about the mayor of Kizilyurt
On city administration website it is said that at the beginning of his career Magomedov worked as a freestyle wrestling coach in the Spartak sports society. Then in 1995 he was elected as a deputy of the People’s Assembly of the Republic, and since 1996 he worked in the committee on legislation, legality, government structure and local self-government of the parliament.
Later, Magomedov headed the tax inspectorate and was the head of the Gergebil region. From September 2012 to April 2021, he served as Minister of Physical Education and Sports of Dagestan, and in May 2021, he headed the Kizilyurt city district.
A source close to the government of the republic told RBC that Magomed Magomedov is considered one of the influential heads of districts in Dagestan. He noted that several attempts had been made on his life. In 2005, unknown persons shot up his jeep in Kizilyurt. The investigation and the court recognized the ex-head of the Kizilyurt district Abdurakhman Gadzhiev as the customer. He was Magomedov’s business partner. Then his nephew died, but the official himself was not injured. When Magomedov was the head of the Gergebil region, a radio-controlled bomb went off in a car parked along the route of his motorcade. Magomedov survived, but the passengers of the VAZ-2106 passing by – a husband and wife and their three daughters – died. In criminal circles of the republic, Magomedov is known under the nickname Big Makhach, the source added.
In 2012, the then head of Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov, now working as deputy head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation, made his namesake minister of physical education and sports, which Magomedov served for nine years. During this time, scandals followed scandals in the ministry – fraud was discovered in the supply of sports equipment and fictitious personnel decisions, and in Magomedov’s home district, a children’s and youth sports school was headed by a repeat offender. At the same time, Magomedov tried very hard to ensure that Dagestan athletes showed good results in the native and international sports arena, which made him a valuable personnel. However, it was corruption in the post of minister that now led to Magomedov’s arrest.
