Suleyman Kerimov

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Suleyman Abusaidovich Kerimov (Russian: Сулейман Абусаидович Керимов) (born March 22, 1966 in Derbent, Dagestan, Russia) is a member of the State Duma of Russia. He is a member of the LDPR, and is Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on Sports. He has a degree in construction from the Dagestan Polytechnic Institute and in economics from Dagestan State University. ^[1] A billionaire and known as "Russia's Richest Civil Servant".^{[citation needed]} Listed № 73 on Forbes' World's Richest People List, however there seems to be controversy over his ranking since his assets appear to have been financed by significant debts about which no public disclosure has been made. Kerimov is thought to control Nafta-Moskva, a successor to the Soviet oil trader Soyuzneftexport and SWIRU Holding AG of Lucerne, and has built up his wealth investing in Gazprom and Sberbank. Nafta-Moskva owns 5% of Sberbank and 20% of BINBank, from whom it borrows to finance its leveraged investments in resource companies, using the acquired shares as collateral pledges. He is an enigmatic figure who claims to eschew publicity but advertizes a lavish lifestyle in the media.

Further controversy surrounds the original source of wealth preceding the heavy borrowings of the years 2003-2005. In December 2005, Kerimov reportedly bought Polimetall, one of the country's largest gold and silver miners, using a $ 1 billion short term loan from Sberbank. In 2006 he tried and failed to IPO 25% of Polimetall on the London Stock Exchange for the original $ 1 billion price that he bought all of the company for. Mr. Allen Vine is CEO of Nafta-Moskva and remains affiliated with Merrill Lynch, who also advise Nafta-Moskva.

Nafta-Moskva was named by the United States Department of Justice along with Vladimir Zhirinovsky (head of the LDPR Party) and US oil company Bayoil in the U.N. Oil for Food scandals of 2005. Zhirinovsky and Kerimov both visited Iraq in 1998 on an airliner provided by Kerimov's airline company at the time.

[edit] Accident in Nice, France

On 26 November 2006 in Nice, France Suleyman Kerimov was seriously wounded in a road accident on the Promenade des Anglais, while driving a Ferrari Enzo, belonging to Swiru Holding AG' s president Alexander Studhalter. Mr. Kerimov was transported by helicopter to Marseille, in the Regional Burns Center at the hospital of the Conception, where he was placed on a respirator. "His condition is very worrying and the next 48 hours will be critical", declared a spokesman of the Assistance Publique of the Hospitals of Marseilles (APHM). Shortly after the accident, Kerimow has been transported to the Military Hospital at Neder-Over-Heembeek (Belgium) for treatment. This VIP treatment' has been arranged by his friends in Belgium. According to statements of the Belgian Government (Department of Defense), all costs of this operation have been payed by Kerimov himself. However, this amount was too small to pay all costs that have been made. The other part has been payed by Belgian tax payers!

The passenger was also wounded in the crash and she was hospitalized in Nice. The black Ferrari Enzo driven by Mr. Kerimov left the road for reasons still unknown, on the western entry of the Promenade des Anglais in mid-afternoon. It hit a tree and caught fire. Considering the identity of the principal victim, the investigation was entrusted to the Criminal Investigation Department of Nice.

News of the accident

The accident took place with 15h30 local time. For reasons still unknown, in a zone where speed is limited to 50 kilometers hour, Suleyman Kerimov lost the control of his car and struck a tree at the roadside. The tank of the Ferrari exploded on crashing into the pavement, and caught fire instantaneously. The car was travelling at high speed, which could be the cause of the accident. The first hearings suggest a loss of control of the powerful vehicle, as the road was wet following heavy rain all Saturday morning. According to witnesses, the 600 horsepower black Ferrari, registered in Switzerland, was driving fast in traffic, weaving lanes. Witnesses of the accident helped to put out the flames. The deputy and his passenger, Tina Kandelaki, 31 years, star of popular television programmes in Russia, were pulled from the crashed vehicle. Mrs. Kandelaki was admitted to hospital in Nice with superficial burns of the thighs and hands. She left the hospital soon after and later that evening took a plane bound for Russia.

Alerted by smoke, the firemen of the Airport Nice Riviera extinguished the fire of the car. The accident caused an enormous congestion in the entry of Nice.

The racing car had been placed at the disposal of Mr. Kerimov by a friend. Mr. Kerimov who has a property in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), had just arrived in Nice by private jet.