21:12, 11 September 2013

Arrested Said Amirov will remain Mayor of Makhachkala till September 2014

The Mayor of Makhachkala Said Amirov, kept in custody in Moscow, will retain his post until the next election schedule for 2014, since the Dagestani authorities have decided not to hold the early election.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Said Amirov was detained on June 1 on suspicion of involvement in a number of grave crimes. The Basmanny Court of Moscow has temporarily removed him from office for the time of the inquiry. From June 13, Murtazali Rabadanov is the Acting Mayor.

As announced by Magomedbek Akhmedov, the press secretary of the Government and President of Dagestan, the election of the Mayor of the capital of the republic will be held upon expiry of office in September 2014, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

Meantime, Amirov refuses to testify. He has rejected his guilt, in particular, on the charges of plotting a terror act, referring to Article 51 of the Russian Constitution, which allows not to evidence against oneself and one's relatives. He believes his case is a politically-motivated one, the "Interfax" reports with reference to the lawyer Mark Kruter.