Phone calls of Dagestani officials wiretapped - source

Today, a source of the "Kommersant" close to investigators has reported that since 2014, the FSB had been wiretapping phone calls of members of the Dagestani government, including Abdusamad Gamidov.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 6, Abdusamad Gamidov, the former acting head of the Dagestani government, was taken into custody in Moscow together with his deputies Shamil Isaev and Rajudin Yusufov, as well as with Shakhabas Shakhov, former Minister for Education and Science. They are accused of embezzling more than 100 million roubles from the budget.

On March 14, investigators let Abdusamad Gamidov and his deputy Rajudin Yusufov to examine the results of the expertise and other materials of the criminal case. According to the investigators, the cost estimate for expansion of the highway from Makhachkala to Kaspiysk was overstated by more than 20 million roubles, and a part of the amount went to members of the government, the "Kommersant" reports today.

According to a source, it follows from the case materials that since 2014, the FSB had been wiretapping phone calls of many officials from the Dagestani government, including Abdusamad Gamidov. "Among the records, there is a conversation with Abdusamad Gamidov, who clearly requested his subordinate to increase the cost estimate for an object under construction on budget expenses," the "Kommersant" quotes the source as reporting.

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