Authorities in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan are investigating a senior regional official, Magomed-Sultan Magomedov, over allegations that he illegally privatized an oil company in the mid-2000s, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Magomedov, 69, has served as Dagestan’s state secretary since 2021, a mostly administrative position in the regional government. He is a member of the ruling United Russia party.
The RBC news website, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, reported that Magomedov was arrested after searches were carried out at his home and office. It is not clear whether he faces any charges.
Local investigators were reportedly not informed of the operation in advance, and the regional police department did not respond to media requests for comment.
Agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) searched around 50 properties linked to Magomedov, according to the independent Dagestan news outlet Chernovik.
“An accumulation of personnel was required to carry out an operation of this scale. That’s why law enforcement officers arrived in the republic in small groups for more than a week,” Chernovik quoted an anonymous source as saying.
Telegram channels linked to Russia’s security services reported that the investigation is tied to the alleged illegal privatization of the petroleum distributor Dagnefteprodukt in 2005.
Magomedov was CEO of Dagnefteprodukt from 1991 to 2005. The company was restructured in 2021 and now operates under the name Kaspetrolservis.
Magomedov is also the co-founder of FC Anzhi Makhachkala. The football club rose to prominence after being purchased by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov in 2011, but lost its professional status in the early 2020s.
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