Russian billionaire Ibragim Suleymanov arrested in Moscow over 1999 murder

Russian billionaire Ibragim Suleymanov has been detained in Moscow by officers from the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department (MUR), according to a report from the Telegram channel “VChK-OGPU”, cited by Caliber.Az.

Sources familiar with the situation said Suleymanov was taken into custody during the night of October 2. He is facing serious criminal charges under Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to murder.

The charges are reportedly related to an incident that took place several years ago. At present, he is being held in accordance with Article 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and investigators are expected to seek his formal arrest.

The Telegram channel notes that Suleymanov is widely regarded as one of the most secretive and influential billionaires in Russia. He has prior criminal convictions for fraud and money laundering, is known for his lavish lifestyle, and is part of the elite group of Russian oligarchs. He also previously held control over the state-run airline reservation system “Sirena-Travel.”

According to the same source, Suleymanov is suspected of orchestrating the 1999 murder of Gennady Borisov, who at the time served as the head of the trade union committee for ground service employees at the now-defunct airline Vnukovo Airlines. Borisov had organised protests in front of the airline’s administrative building, demanding the payment of approximately 30 million rubles in back wages owed to employees.

Shortly after these demonstrations, Borisov was attacked at the entrance of his residential building on Garibaldi Street. The assailant inflicted 12 stab wounds, most of which proved fatal.

At the time of the incident, Vnukovo Airlines was headed by Tatevos Surinov, a prominent businessman and longtime associate of Suleymanov. Surinov passed away in 2015.

Ibragim Ameevich Suleymanov, born on May 29, 1967, is a Russian citizen originally from the village of Rutul, located in the Rutulsky District of the Dagestan ASSR, then part of the USSR.

Russian media outlets describe him as a “shadow billionaire” and a criminal partner of major oligarchs, with previous convictions for fraud and laundering criminal proceeds. He is the son-in-law of Platon Lebedev (former business associate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky), the father of Rasul Suleymanov, a nominal shareholder in several systemically important companies, and the beneficiary of Sirena-Travel, a key player in Russia’s IT infrastructure.

By Tamilla Hasanova