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Dagestan’s MP suspected of organizing criminal community, relations with militants

MOSCOW, January 24. /ITAR-TASS/. A criminal case on organization of a criminal community was opened in respect of a deputy of Dagestan’s People’s Assembly.

Russian Investigative Committee’s spokesperson Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass: “Over investigation of several criminal cases, which the Committee’s branch in Dagestan opened, including a case in respect of deputy Magomed Magomedov on charges of extortion on a large scale, large scale fraud, staging riots and participating in those, the investigators found out that Deputy Magomedov had set up a criminal community, which had acted in the territory of Dagestan for over two years. The investigators say Magomedov personally managed the criminal community.”

“The criminal community had a strict hierarchy, its participants made plans for their criminal actions in illegal profits, obtaining property and monetary funds of individuals and companies, who were clients of the Vitas-Bank. As the bank went bankrupt, the criminals extorted illegally over 100 million rubles (almost three million dollars),” Markin said.

Besides, the investigation reports, the deputy jointly with his brother Ruslan and another deputy Siradzhudin Abakarov by means of cheating and threatening with use of force extorted several times from a local businessman over 24 million rubles (about $705 thousand) claiming the man was to pay the money to settle the interest rate on his loan from Vitas-Bank. “Here, the criminals managed to legalize in their names the property and documents, the businessman had pledged to the bank,” Markin said.

In March 2013, during a special mission in Makhachkala’s district Magomedov and supporters of the military underground staged mass riots in central Makhachkala to counteract the law enforcement authorities, the spokesman said. Participants in the disorders set tires on fire, blocked the transport and used force against the police, fighting against the criminals.

“Over 20 criminal episodes made the base of a criminal case opened by Dagestan’s branch of the Russian Investigative Committee (organization of a criminal community and participation in it). At the same time, the investigation continues active work on other criminal episodes, involving the criminal group and its participants,” Markin said. “Besides, the investigation has learned Magomedov transferred money to foreign accounts, and the experts will check whether he was involved in financing terrorism.”

The court made a decision to arrest Magomedov and his four suspected allies. Five people, including the deputy’s brother Ruslan Magomedov and Deputy Abakarov, are on the wanted list. Nine more criminals, who were using guns during detention, were killed during the special mission.

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