Moscow police have arrested businessman Ibragim Suleimanov on suspicion of involvement in the 2004 murder of the former head of Russia’s now-defunct government bankruptcy body, state media reported Friday.
Georgy Tal, the ex-chief of the Federal Service for Financial Recovery and Bankruptcy, was badly wounded in central Moscow and died in the hospital in April 2004.
Suleimanov was reportedly arrested Thursday after the alleged gunman, identified as the head of a Dagestani organized crime group named Abakar D., testified against him.
Abakar D. was said to have died from heart failure while in police custody after his testimony.
Russia’s investigative authorities have not yet commented on the arrest.
Suleimanov was in 2004 sentenced to 10.5 years on fraud and money laundering charges and was released in 2015 on parole.
The state-run TASS news agency and pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia describe him as a billionaire, but no independent estimates of Suleimanov’s net worth have been made public.
Investigative news outlets named Suleimanov and his son Rasul as the beneficiaries of Sirena-Travel, a major IT company that develops booking and digital solutions for the aviation sector, including the Leonardo reservation system used in 80% of ticket sales in Russia.
Suleimanov was previously reported to have business ties to billionaire senator Suleiman Kerimov and is the son-in-law of Platon Lebedev, the onetime business partner of exiled former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court is expected to rule on placing Suleimanov in pre-trial detention later Friday, according to the Kommersant business daily.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
