Senator Suleiman Kerimov's arrest has not deprived him of Dagestanis' support

For residents of Dagestan, Senator Suleiman Kerimov, who was barred from leaving the country by a French court, is primarily a benefactor, although his relations with Dagestani authorities changed from confrontational to friendly, journalists of local media have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Suleiman Kerimov, a Member of the Federation Council of Russia (a Senator), was detained in France on November 20 under the case of tax evasion. He has refused to plead guilty.

In Dagestan, Kerimov "is perceived as a benefactor, who helps to realize charity projects," Magomed Magomedov, the deputy editor-in-chief of the "Chernovik" weekly, believes.

Such projects include sending Dagestan children, sick with cerebral palsy, to China, and sponsoring Dagestanis' travels to Hajj. Projects are also being implemented for the construction of mosques and reconstruction of schools and hospitals, Mr Magomedov has added.

Mr Kerimov "paid much attention to the development of education and charity actions held in the republic," said Gadjimurad Sagitov, the editor-in-chief of the edition named "Novoe Delo" (New Cause).

Senator Kerimov owns large companies and controls the financial group "Nafta-Moskva". He is ranked 21st place in the Forbes rating "200 richest businessmen of Russia in 2017". His fortune is estimated at 6.3 billion US dollars.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.