Kerimov Suleiman Abusaidovich, Russian entrepreneur: biography, personal life, family, fortune. Kerimov Suleiman Abusaidovich

Suleiman Abusaidovich is a well-known billionaire (his fortune as of April 2019 is estimated at $ 6.3 billion), is a member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Dagestan, leads the Nafta-Moscow financial and industrial group, and owns the Anji football club.

Childhood

He was born on March 12, 1966 in Derbent, where Sulik (as his close friends called him) spent his childhood. His father, a lawyer by education, worked in the criminal investigation department, and his mother was an accountant in the Sberbank system. He has a brother, who is now a doctor, and a sister, a teacher of Russian language and literature.

In his youth, he was fond of judo and kettlebell lifting, he was repeatedly the champion of various championships.

Education and military service

He studied very well, and his favorite subject at school was mathematics. In 1983, he graduated with honors from secondary school No. 18 and entered the Dagestan Polytechnic Institute at the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

After all, he was drafted into the army. The young man served in Moscow, in the Strategic Missile Forces. In 1986, being a senior sergeant in the position of head of the calculation, he was demobilized.

Upon returning from the service, he continued his studies, but already at the Faculty of Economics at DSU.

Labor activity

After graduating, in 1989 he got a job at the Eltav plant as an ordinary economist, where in five years of work he managed to get the position of assistant general director for economic issues. In 1993, the management of the plant with partners established a bank and registered it in Moscow. Suleiman was sent to represent their interests in the new Fedprombank. Soon the banker already had a controlling stake in the credit institution.

In 1995, Suleiman Abusaidovich was appointed to the post of head of the Soyuz-Finance trading and financial company.

In the spring of 1997, he became a fellow at the International Institute of Corporations, and two years later he led this autonomous non-profit organization as president.

Business and investment projects

In 1999, a new stage in his life began - he bought shares in the Nafta-Moscow oil trading company and began to actively engage in investment and resale transactions. A year later, the company made its first purchase - Varyoganneftegaz.

In November 2005, it acquired 70% of one of the largest gold and silver miners in Russia, Polymetal. A couple of years later, Polymetal was listed on the London Stock Exchange, after which Nafta resold its stake in this holding.

At the same time, his enterprise continued to develop successfully and, through profitable investments made by him during the first years of her leadership, already had a stake in Gazprom and Sberbank (by 2008 it was 4.25% and 5.6%, respectively). However, by mid-2008, Suleiman Abusaidovich himself completely withdrew from the share capital of both structures.

In 2003-2008 Nafta developed the Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye project, also known in the press as the "city of millionaires". In April 2006, she became a co-owner of Mosstroyekonombank, which owns Smolensky Passage, in June she gained control over SEC Razvitie, which unites three construction companies, and in July she announced that she owns 17% of Mospromstroy. All packages were then also resold.

In 2007, the entrepreneur invested in Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and other foreign financial institutions. At the same time, Forbes named him the largest private investor in Morgan Stanley.

In parallel, he was engaged in completely different projects. So, in 2005, together with the capital's mayor's office, a joint telecommunications open joint-stock company Mosteleset was created - the only shareholder of Mostelecom. Two years later, these assets were merged into the National Telecommunications holding and a year later they were sold to a consortium of investors led by Yuri Kovalchuk's National Media Group CJSC for $1.5 billion.

At the end of 2006, together with the government of the capital, it was announced the creation of the United Hotel Company, to which the shares of more than 20 hotels on the balance of the city were transferred (including Balchug, Metropol, National and Radisson-Slavyanskaya ). Nafta was supposed to be one of the leaders in the Moscow hotel market.

Among the other Russian assets of the businessman at that time were the firms Metronome AG and the operator of the Mercado supermarket chain.

In February 2009, Nafta became the owner of 75% of Glavstroy SPb. In the spring of 2009, under the auspices of the entrepreneur, the reconstruction of the Moskva Hotel began, as a result of which a five-star Four Seasons hotel with offices and apartments was opened there, as well as the Fashion Season shopping gallery. In 2015, he first sold the gallery and then the hotel to Alexei Khotin.

In the second quarter of 2009, its structures bought 25% of PIK Group, the largest developer in Russia, whose financial position at that time was precarious. During the first couple of years of his leadership, the group regained financial stability and strengthened its position in the market. In the winter of 2013, the entire stake (which at that time was 38.3%) was sold to Sergey Gordeev and Alexander Mamut.

In the same 2009, Nafta-Moskva bought 37% of Polus Gold, the largest gold producer in the country, from Vladimir Potanin. Over time, this figure increased to 40.22%. In 2012, Polyus held an IPO on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and at the end of 2015, the rights to 95% of the holding were transferred to it.

In April 2009, having bought out 19.71% of the shares, he became one of the owners of the IFC bank.

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In June 2010, together with partners, he acquired 53% of Uralkali (the size of the transaction was estimated at $5.3 billion). For this purchase, he had to take a decent loan from VTB. In December 2013, he sold his stake in Uralkali to Mikhail Prokhorov (21.75%) and Dmitry Mazepin (19.99%).

In January 2011, Anji Makhachkala, which is part of the Russian football Premier League, passed into his possession. In addition, near Makhachkala, at the expense of the billionaire, a modern Anji-Arena stadium was built with a functioning children's football academy.

In 2013-2014 he sold most of his resources, while his son, a young businessman Abusaid, bought Cinema Park, a large-scale chain of cinemas, from V. Potanin (the deal was valued at $300 million).

Political activity

From 1999 to 2003, he was a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the III convocation, was a member of its security committee. Then, until 2007, he was a deputy of the Duma of the IV convocation, also served as deputy chairman of the committee on physical culture, sports and youth affairs.

Since 2008, he has been a member of the Federation Council (SF), since March 2011 he has represented Dagestan in the upper house of the Russian parliament.

At the end of September 2016, it became known that the oligarch was re-elected to the Federation Council. The decision was made at the People's Assembly, all 86 deputies from the republic voted "for".

Charity and patronage

In November 2006, in Nice, he was in a car accident and received severe burns. After that, the entrepreneur donated 1 million euros to the Pinocchio charity, which helps children cope with burn injuries.

At the end of 2013, all the assets of the enterprises owned by him were transferred to the Suleyman Kerimov Foundation, which was founded by the billionaire in 2007. One of his most ambitious undertakings is the reconstruction of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, the annual hajj for several thousand Muslims, international youth and cultural festivals, and more.

In 2014, according to Forbes magazine, he was the third richest person in Russia who provided financial assistance to charity projects in 2013.

Among other things, he has headed the board of trustees since the founding of the Wrestling Federation of the Russian Federation in 2006. For many years, his foundation has been the main sponsor of this organization, funding, along with the New Perspective support fund, the national program for the development of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

Awards

On March 10, 2016, he was awarded the badge of honor of the Dagestan Republic "For the love of his native land."

In turn, FILA awarded him with its most prestigious award - the "Golden Order".

According to the Forbes list, the businessman's prosperity came in 2007-2008: at first he was the seventh richest businessman in the Russian Federation - his fortune was estimated at $ 12.8 billion. The following year, he took eighth place in the rankings, while his fortune grew to $18.4 billion.

In 2016, he was in 45th place with a mark of $ 1.6 billion, in 2017 he became 21st, increasing his fortune to $ 6.3 billion. In 2018, he climbed one line, taking 20th place (the fortune was estimated at $6.4 billion).

Hobbies

In addition to football and martial arts, he loves to surf the sea - for this he owns two yachts - Ice and Millenium, acquired in 2005-2006. One curious fact is connected with the four-deck ninety-meter yacht Ice - for example, in 2012, her crew saved nine people whose pleasure boat capsized. In the media, the owner of the ship was credited with another medal for this - "For the salvation of drowning people."

To travel by air, they use an equally luxurious vehicle - the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 737-700.

Family status
He met his future wife, Firuza Nazimovna Khanbalaeva, at the university - they studied at the same faculty. The couple have three children. In 1990, a daughter, Gulnara, was born, five years later, a son, Abusaid. The youngest daughter, Aminat, was born in 2003.

Kerimov Suleiman Abusaidovich and his women are a subject of interest for Russians, because we are talking about one of the richest businessmen in the country, known for his addiction to the fair sex. At the same time, as a real oriental man, he is distinguished by generosity and recognition of the inviolability of the family institution.

A little biography

A native of Derbent (Dagestan) turned 50 in March 2016. From childhood, the young man was fond of sports, which did not prevent him from studying well. After going through the army and graduating from the university with a degree in economics, Kerimov began his career at the Eltav plant. The patronage was made by the father-in-law, for while still a student, the young man married a girl named Firuza. She was and remains the main woman in his life, having given three children:

Gulnaru, born in 1990;
Abusaida born in 1995;
Aminat born in 2003

For 6 years, an ordinary economist rose to the rank of assistant to the general director and was transferred to Moscow to represent interests in the Federal Industrial Bank, one of the founders of which the company was. The topic "Suleiman Kerimov and his women" is being discussed in the press, because the novice entrepreneur has made a huge amount of capital by investing in assets with growth potential. Having infiltrated the oil industry, he became the owner of Nafta-Moskva, acquired shares in Gazprom, Sberbank, and Polymetal, subsequently selling them at a bargain price.

The appearance of Natalia Vetlitskaya

Having earned the initial capital in the 90s, Kerimov formally retired, becoming a deputy of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party (1999). Later he will represent Dagestan in the Federation Council. The emerging connections in government structures helped to solve problems in the companies that he acquired.

It was during these years that a series of novels began under the title "Suleiman Kerimov and his women." A photo of the first beauty - singer Natalya Vetlitskaya, can be seen in the article. The peak of her career also came in the 90s. Climbing Olympus began with a career as a dancer, and then as a backing vocalist. At 24, she got into the Mirage group thanks to producer Andrei Razin.

A few years later, the singer left the band. Before meeting with Kerimov, the woman had three official marriages and civil relations with Vlad Stashevsky, Mikhail Topalov, Dmitry Malikov. Vetlitskaya brought to the stage the image of a socialite, against which the temperamental Lezgin simply could not resist.

Romance with a singer

The success of the pop diva on stage is associated with a businessman. After breaking up with him, the singer began a real creative stagnation. The oligarch returned the star to the pop Olympus, investing in its promotion. Suleiman Kerimov and his women always appeared together at social events, since the wife preferred homeliness to public life. The two-year union with Vetlitskaya was no exception, giving the impression that the couple was married. On the 38th birthday of his girlfriend, the billionaire threw a grand party in the 19th century estate with an invitation from world pop stars. A pendant worth $10,000 was presented as a gift.

In 2004, Vetlitskaya gave birth to a daughter, Ulyana. Her real father is unknown. The intrigue is reinforced by the fact that outwardly the girl is a copy of her mother. The dizzying romance ended in a break, but as a parting gift, Kerimov left an apartment on New Riga and a plane to his former passion. Today, the woman lives as a recluse in Spain, does not keep in touch with colleagues in show business and does not give interviews. But the press managed to find out that the Swiss lawyer Kerimov is still dealing with the affairs of Vetlitskaya.

Anastasia Volochkova

The young Anastasia Volochkova came to replace the same age. Until 2009, Vetlitskaya still performed and lived in Russia, so she witnessed a new romance. According to rumors, she ran into a newly made couple in one of the restaurants, where she promised to take revenge on the ballerina by hiring bandits. Volochkova was really frightened and demanded that the oligarch strengthen the security.

The women of Suleiman Kerimov knew about his marital status, which they had to put up with. But Anastasia Volochkova made an attempt to take the billionaire away from the family, for which she paid with a break in relations. Her problems with the Bolshoi Theater coincided in time with their separation.

Accident in Nice

In the fall of 2006, Kerimov's car had an accident in Nice, crashing into a tree. The airbags cushioned the impact, but burning fuel erupted from the fuel tank, starting a fire. The businessman, engulfed in flames, fell to the ground, trying to put out the burning clothes. He was helped by teenagers playing baseball on the lawn. This saved his life, although French doctors fought for it for a long time. Today, the incident is reminiscent of the skin-colored gloves that the businessman has been wearing ever since.

What does this have to do with the story called "Kerimov Suleiman Abusaidovich and his women"? A photo of TV presenter Tina Kandelaki spread around the media. The dazzling brunette was in the car next to the oligarch, but fortunately she did not receive serious injuries. Being married to businessman Andrei Kondrakhin, the woman carefully tried to hide her connection with the oligarch, but the fact was made public. A few years later, Kandelaki's marriage broke up.

Katya Gomiashvili

At the same time, Moscow was whispering about the oligarch's romance with the youngest daughter of the successful restaurateur Archil Gomiashvili, who created an unforgettable image of Ostap Bender in the cinema. Having received a brilliant European education, Katya created her own clothing brand Mia Shvili with her father's money. Things went mediocre until an influential patron joined the cause. Katya became part of the project "Suleiman Kerimov and his women." Their romance lasted 4 years, during which the girl managed to open a boutique in London, designed by the world-famous designer Ab Rogers, and acquire a name in Moscow by attracting such celebrities as Kate Moss to the show.

Her painted sheepskin coats, towel dresses and sequined swimsuits were bought up with pleasure by the “golden youth”, until the girl lost interest in the modeling business. It turned out that this was due to her pregnancy. The birth of her daughter Maria forced the woman to sell the boutiques, for which she received a million dollar compensation from Kerimov. He established a monthly pension for the newborn and gave the ex-lover a villa in France.

Episodes

What other beauties of our time are included in the story called "Suleiman Kerimov and his women"? Following Nastya Volochkova, the oligarch had a short relationship with the actress. The photo demonstrates a certain female type, to which the womanizer is not indifferent. But the demands of the film star turned out to be too great for him, so the couple quickly broke up.

The paparazzi spotted the oligarch's seclusion in the Aist restaurant with the beautiful Zhanna Friske. For about two hours, the businessman affectionately stroked his companion's hand, whispering compliments in her ear. History is silent about whether this was an isolated case, or whether they were connected by any relationship.

today

The crisis of 2008 led to the loss of more than $ 20 billion by Kerimov due to investment in Western projects. The businessman not only recovered from financial failures, but also again reached the forefront in domestic business. However, today the topic “Suleiman Kerimov and his women” is practically closed. Photos of 2016 show that the oligarch is no longer accompanied by young beauties at social events. This is associated with illness and the consequences of the accident in Nice. In 2016, the oligarch withdrew from the Federation Council and left the Duma. Earlier, he left his favorite brainchild - the Anji football club.

The last woman the press wrote about as the businessman's main favorite was his daughter Gulnara, who in 2013 married the son of wealthy parents named Arsen. The oligarch arranged for her a luxurious wedding at a private golf club with an invitation from Italian and local celebrities.

Childhood

In his youth, he was fond of judo and kettlebell lifting, he was repeatedly the champion of various championships.

Education and military service

Upon returning from the service, he continued his studies, but already at the Faculty of Economics at DSU.

Labor activity

In 1995, Suleiman Abusaidovich was appointed to the post of head of the Soyuz-Finance trading and financial company.

In the spring of 1997, he became a fellow at the International Institute of Corporations, and two years later he led this autonomous non-profit organization as president.

Business and investment projects

Among the other Russian assets of the businessman at that time were the firms Metronome AG and the operator of the Mercado supermarket chain.

In April 2009, having bought out 19.71% of the shares, he became one of the owners of the IFC bank.

In 2013-2014 he sold most of his resources, while his son, a young businessman Abusaid, bought Cinema Park, a large-scale chain of cinemas, from V. Potanin (the deal was valued at $300 million).

Political activity

Since 2008, he has been a member of the Federation Council (SF), since March 2011 he has represented Dagestan in the upper house of the Russian parliament.

Charity and patronage

In 2014, according to Forbes magazine, he was the third richest person in Russia who provided financial assistance to charity projects in 2013.

Awards

On March 10, 2016, he was awarded the badge of honor of the Dagestan Republic "For the love of his native land."

In turn, FILA awarded him with its most prestigious award - the "Golden Order".

According to the Forbes list, the flourishing of the businessman's material well-being came in 2007-2008: at first he was the seventh richest person in the Russian Federation - his fortune was estimated at $ 12.8 billion. The following year, he took the eighth line of the rating, but his capital was estimated at $18.4 billion.

In 2016, he was in 45th place with a mark of $1.6 billion.

Hobbies

To travel by air, they use an equally luxurious vehicle - the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 737-700.

Personal life

He met his future wife, Firuza Nazimovna Khanbalaeva, at the university - they studied at the same faculty. The couple have three children. In 1990, a daughter, Gulnara, was born, five years later, a son, Abusaid. The youngest daughter, Aminat, was born in 2003.

Had many high-profile novels. His scandalous personal life is constantly in the spotlight of the media. He was in a relationship with the star of the 1990s, singer Natalya Vetlitskaya. He, without hiding, appeared with the artist at social events. At one time they were even considered almost husband and wife. The businessman showered Natalia with expensive gifts and literally overwhelmed with money. “He spares nothing for me. He gives money with bags, ”Vetlitskaya boasted to her friends. After the affair with Kerimov, Vetlitskaya left a huge house in New Riga with 3,000 square meters. There were also rumors about an apartment in Paris donated to her and various expensive jewelry.

Then he had an affair with the ballerina Anastasia Volochkova. There were rumors that Vetlitskaya almost threatened Volochkova because she had taken her rich lover away from her, supposedly Kerimov even hired security guards for Nastya.

However, the affair with Volochkova quickly ended. Persons familiar with the situation explained this by the excessive greed of the ballerina, which pushed the businessman away from her. After the break with Kerimov, Volochkova started having problems in the theater. Nastya tried to return her rich lover, even publicly confessed her love to him, but to no avail.

Leaving the ballerina, Kerimov became interested in the actress Olesya Sudzilovskaya. He was also credited with relationships with singer Zhanna Friske and TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak.

The businessman had an affair with TV presenter Tina Kandelaki. This became known after Kerimov got into an accident on his Ferrari Enzo on November 26, 2006 in Nice (France) - he crashed into a tree. The airbags cushioned the impact, but burning fuel erupted from the fuel tank, starting a fire. The businessman, engulfed in flames, fell to the ground, trying to put out the burning clothes. He was helped by teenagers playing baseball on the lawn. This saved his life, although French doctors fought for it for a long time. He received severe burns, which is why he is now forced to wear flesh-colored gloves. Together with Kerimov, Tina Kandelaki was in the car. As a memento of this incident, Tina received two tattoos. On the left wrist is one of the Reiki symbols - chokurei (jap. 超空霊 chō: kurei), the meaning of which has several interpretations, one of which allows you to speed up the healing process of wounds. On the left thigh is a Chinese character that means "mother". The tattoos are inflicted on the places of burns received as a result of the accident.

For 4 years he was in a relationship with designer Katya Gomiashvili (born 1978), the daughter of the famous actor Archil Gomiashvili (played Ostap Bender in Gaidai's 12 Chairs). Ekaterina Gomiashvili, at the time of relations with Kerimov, opened a number of boutiques in Moscow and London. Top models Kate Moss and Devon Aoki took part in advertising Gomiashvili's clothing collections. After parting with Kerimov, Ekaterina retired and left for Bali, where she gave birth to a daughter. There were rumors that it could be Kerimov's child, but officially a certain Italian is the father.

Criminal prosecution of Suleiman Kerimov in France

On November 20, 2017, Suleiman Kerimov was detained by French police at Nice airport on charges of tax evasion. Later it was clarified that Kerimov was also charged with money laundering - several tens of millions of euros. Four other alleged accomplices were also detained with him. He was ordered to hand over his passport of a Russian citizen to the French police and pay a bail of 5 million euros in order to avoid detention. In addition, he is obliged "to refuse meetings and contacts with a list of persons that we cannot disclose," the prosecutor said. This means that the billionaire senator will not be able to leave France. Earlier in March 2017, the Nice Matin newspaper reported on a search at the Hier villa in France, which allegedly belongs to Kerimov. The searches took place on February 15 in connection with the investigation into the acquisition of real estate in France. According to the publication, the senator owns real estate in Antibes, the total area of which is 90 thousand square meters. The area of the villa itself reaches 12 thousand square meters.

The billionaire's assistant then stated that Kerimov had no property outside of Russia. According to him, the newspaper's information is unreliable. From January 2011 to December 2016, Suleiman Kerimov was the owner of the football club Anji (Makhachkala), which plays in the Russian Football Premier League. Under him, the club acquired such well-known players as Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea London) and Roberto Carlos (Corinthians Sao Paulo), super-forward Samuel Eto'o (Internationale, Milan). In 2013, as part of the development of a new long-term strategy for the development of the club, it was decided to reduce the annual budget of the club to the level of 50-70 million dollars, compared with the previous budget of 180 million dollars per season. Most of the expensive foreign stars were sold, and the club made a bet on young Russian players. In addition to financing Anji, a modern Anji Arena football stadium for 30,000 spectators was built near Makhachkala at the expense of Kerimov, and the Anji Children's Football Academy operates.

Political activities of Suleiman Kerimov

In 1999-2003, Suleiman Kerimov was a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the III convocation from the Liberal Democratic Party, was a member of the State Duma Committee on Security. In the period from 2003 to 2007, Kerimov was a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the IV convocation from the Liberal Democratic Party, and also served as deputy chairman of the committee on physical culture, sports and youth affairs. Since 2008, Kerimov has become a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation of the upper house of the Federal Assembly and represents the Republic of Dagestan. The entire period of Kerimov's stay as a member of parliament, and then as a senator, the shares of enterprises owned by him, as well as other business assets, were in trust management, and since the end of 2013 they have been transferred to the Suleyman Kerimov Foundation. In September 2016, he was re-elected as a senator from Dagestan in the Federation Council. In this regard, he prematurely terminated his powers as a deputy in the People's Assembly of Dagestan.

Detention

Russian senator Suleiman Kerimov, detained in France, has been charged with tax evasion and money laundering. He was given a bail of five million euros and banned from leaving the country.

The senator was also ordered to hand over his passport, to come to the police several times a week and not to contact certain people.

In accordance with French law, tax evasion and money laundering (blanchiment de fraude fiscale) threatens with five years in prison and a fine of up to 500 thousand euros, with aggravating circumstances - up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to one million euros, as well as confiscation of property .

Kerimov's lawyer Nikita Sychev declined to comment on the court's decision.

"I'm tired. I didn't sleep for two days. I want to sleep,” the lawyer said. He also did not say what measures will be taken in the future.

After that, the lawyer and the people accompanying him blocked the entrance to the public parking lot near the Palace of Justice in Nice in front of the journalists.

A few minutes later, two black cars left the parking lot at intervals of several minutes. The passenger of the first, sitting in the front seat, was covered with a jacket. However, Kerimov was in another car. He got into the back seat of a black Mercedes and left the court without giving any comments to reporters.

New arrests

In addition to Senator Kerimov, the French police detained four more people, the Le Figaro newspaper writes, citing its own source.

It is reported that we are talking about people who worked with the politician on his property in Nice.

The newspaper also writes that Karimov is involved in the case of money laundering obtained through tax fraud committed by an organized group. We are talking about several tens of millions of euros.

Maximum active protection

The Federation Council will analyze the decision of the French court against Senator Suleiman Kerimov.

Suleiman Abusaidovich Kerimov is a well-known Russian businessman, a member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation from Dagestan, the owner of the Russian football club Anji.

Early years. Family

Suleiman Kerimov was born in Derbent, a Dagestan city with a long history located on the Caspian coast. He became the third and youngest child in the family.

His father, Abusaid Kerimovich, was a lawyer, served in the Dagestan Criminal Investigation Department, while his mother worked as an accountant in the Savings Bank. Suleiman graduated from an ordinary Soviet school, like his older brother and sister. According to teachers and classmates, Kerimov loved mathematics and, unlike many schoolchildren, not only studied well, but also devoted a lot of time and effort to sports. Suleiman developed speed of reaction, agility and speed in judo training, and strength and endurance in training with kettlebells. And these were not momentary hobbies - later, at the institute, Kerimov became a CCM in judo, and in the army he won the championship of the kettlebell lifting division.

Karimov graduated from school in 1983, having received a certificate with honors. Success in the exact sciences helped him successfully pass the exams at the Dagestan Polytechnic Institute and enter the Faculty of Civil Engineering. In those years, full-time students did not have a deferment from the army, so in 1984 Suleiman went to serve in the Strategic Missile Forces. The decisiveness and responsibility of Kerimov were repeatedly noted by the commanders, and he successfully completed his service in 1986 with the rank of senior sergeant.

Upon returning from military service, Suleiman transferred from the Polytechnic University to the Dagestan State University, changing the Faculty of Civil Engineering to Economics. Classmates spoke of him as an intelligent, charming and responsible person. Karimov also developed responsibility and the ability to find a common language in public work, in particular, as deputy chairman of the university trade union committee.

Career and first capital

After graduating from the university, Suleiman Kerimov was hired as an economist at the Eltav plant in Makhachkala, one of the largest in Dagestan. For six years, Kerimov's career went uphill: from an ordinary economist, he went all the way to an assistant to the general director.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Eltav plant became one of the co-founders of the Federal Industrial Bank. The bank was necessary for the interaction of production with related enterprises and consumers located in different countries. Kerimov began to represent the interests of the plant in the bank, eventually moving to the capital completely.

That time, as well as the people who then earned the first capital, can be evaluated in different ways. But regardless of personal preferences and political convictions, everyone who knew Suleiman Kerimov at that time noted his attention to detail, lightning-fast reaction and ability to make non-trivial decisions.

Nafta Moscow

By 1999, Kerimov had acquired and increased to 100% his stake in Nafta Moskva, a Russian oil trader. From that moment, the process of reorganizing the company into a full-fledged investment holding began.

According to some counterparties, Suleiman Abusaidovich conducted his business rather harshly. But in business, as in politics, players are judged by a single criterion - by the result. And with this, Kerimov had no problems. In the shortest possible time, his company Nafta Moskva burst into the top three leaders in the mergers and acquisitions market, taking pride of place on a par with Oleg Deripaska's Rusal and Roman Abramovich's Millhouse, with whom he later began to cooperate. Such a neighborhood shows an undeniable result, and only profitability indicators can be more objective. With them, Kerimov is also all right - for some transactions, the indicators reached 600%.

Kerimov understood that huge sums of money could be made in the oil and gas industry. During the period from 2002 to 2008, the interests of Nafta Moskva concerned the acquisition of shares in various domestic enterprises. Representatives and managers of these companies spoke of Kerimov as a tenacious person who always achieves his goal. At the same time, many noted his oriental charm and the pronounced charisma of a born leader.

Since 2006, the interests of Suleiman Kerimov's structures have been reoriented to Western markets and work with foreign securities. By analogy with the financial participation of Sberbank and VTB in domestic projects, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse were involved in cooperation abroad. At that time, starting to buy shares of Western companies (including British Petroleum, Volvo, etc.), Kerimov personally met the directors of leading investment banks and largest companies, in particular, Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

The global economic crisis of 2008, according to various experts, cost Kerimov $ 20 billion. Someone associates this with erroneous planning, someone with excessive excitement. But regardless of the attitude to what happened, everyone agrees that the huge losses did not unsettle Kerimov, in full accordance with the postulate of Nietzsche - "what does not kill us makes us stronger."

Kerimov's portfolio at different times included shares of a wide variety of companies, from monopolists such as Gazprom, Sberbank, Rosneft and Uralkali, to lesser-known ones such as Varyoganneftegaz, Polymetal, Mostelecom, Mercado and others.

Polyus Gold

Kerimov acquired shares in Polyus Gold, the largest gold producer in Russia, in 2009. By 2012, the company entered an IPO on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and in 2015 Kerimov's structures consolidated the rights to 95% of the company's shares by buying shares from minority shareholders. In April 2016, Kerimov introduced two older children to the board of Polyus Gold.

The role of Kerimov in Charity

In 2013, the businessman transferred all his assets to the management of the Suleyman Kerimov Foundation, a charitable foundation he established, which closely cooperated with the largest Russian and international charitable organizations.

The Foundation has existed since 2007 and implements humanitarian, educational and cultural projects not only in Russia, but also in many other countries - Armenia, Belgium, China, Germany, Greece, Israel. The most impressive sums are invested in Dagestan.

Since 2006, Suleiman Kerimov has been contributing to the development of freestyle wrestling in Russia. His charitable foundation, together with the Wrestling Federation of Russia and the New Perspective Sports Support Fund, finances the Fight and Win national program for the development of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

He has been the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Wrestling Federation since its foundation in 2006. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the educational center for gifted children "Sirius" in Sochi.

Policy

Since 2008, Kerimov has been representing the Republic of Dagestan in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation in the upper house of Parliament. Represents the legislative body of state power of the Republic of Dagestan in the Federation Council. Since September 2016, the businessman has been re-elected as a senator of the Federation Council from the Republic of Dagestan.

Prior to being elected as a representative to the Federation Council - Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the IV convocation, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.

Personal life

Suleiman Kerimov has been married since his student years and has three children: the eldest daughter Gulnara (1990), the middle son Abusaid (1995) and the youngest daughter Aminat (2003).

Suleiman Kerimov now

In 2016, the Forbes business publication estimated the fortune of Suleiman Kerimov at $1.6 billion. The entrepreneur is one of the richest businessmen in the Russian Federation.

Suleiman Abusaidovich Kerimov is a Russian businessman and politician, a member of the Federation Council from the Republic of Dagestan, one of the richest people in Russia.

Suleiman Kerimov is one of the richest citizens of Russia. According to Forbes for 2017, he ranks 21st in the country in terms of wealth, and 226th in the world. He owns the largest oil production companies - Nafta Moskva and gold production - Polyus Gold. Founder of the Youth Support Fund, the development of medicine, culture and sports Suleyman Kerimov Foundation.

Karimov was born on the western shore of the Caspian Sea in Derbent, Lezgin by nationality. The parents of the future businessman were ordinary Soviet people: his father is a criminal investigation lawyer and his mother is an accountant at Sberbank. Suleiman had an older brother and sister, by profession a doctor and a teacher of the Russian language, respectively.

Childhood

As a child, Karimov studied well and loved sports. He was considered the best student in his school. Suleiman showed particular interest in mathematics, which he studied in depth. He graduated from school with a gold medal, entered the Dagestan Polytechnic University at the faculty of construction. Suleiman managed to unlearn one course, and then received a summons to the army and went to serve in the missile forces. After demobilization, Kerimov recovered at the university, but not at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, but at the Faculty of Economics.

In the photo, young Suleiman Kerimov

In 1989 he graduated from the Dagestan Polytechnic University and began working as an economist at the plant. "Eltav" was in those days the best defense enterprise of the Union. For five years of work, Kerimov climbed the career ladder to the general director for economic issues.

Business

In 1993, Eltav sent Kerimov to Moscow to manage Fedprombank, which was created for the convenience of plant settlements with customers. While working in a bank, Suleiman lent money to several large companies in crisis, and made a number of useful contacts.

Kerimov's own business has taken off since 1999. His first asset - a controlling stake in Nafta Moskva - became 100% within a year. And to this day, the businessman continues to single-handedly manage this holding.

Since the early 2000s, Kerimov has been involved in politics. He becomes a deputy of the State Duma from the LDPR faction. In 2007, the entrepreneur left the Zhirinovsky party without explaining the reasons, and continues his political career with United Russia. From the ruling party, Kerimov passes to the Council of Federations as a representative of his native region - the Republic of Dagestan. Suleiman worked in the upper house of parliament for two convocations.

Nafta Moskva, meanwhile, was buying up the assets of large enterprises with subsequent profitable resale. During this period, Kerimov began cooperation with the largest Russian businessmen and. In the future, Kerimov made several successful deals with them.

Also in the early 00s, the beznesmen bought up land in the Moscow region for the construction of elite housing. The project was called Rublyovo-Arkhangelskoye. But in 2006, Suleiman broke up with him, selling to Mikhail Shishkhanov.

Kerimov continued to accumulate assets: he got a part of the shares of Gazprom and Sberbank, a sugar factory and television networks in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In 2008, the businessman enters the international market: he buys shares in Volvo, Boeing, Barclays, Deutsche Bank and several other large Western companies. However, this did not bring success. Soon the economic crisis began, which took away at least $ 20 billion from Suleiman, located abroad. The business was in danger, but with the help of new projects, Kerimov managed to "return to the game."
In 2009, he buys from 37% of the shares of Polyus Gold, the largest Russian gold miner (in 2016 it was renamed simply Polyus). By the end of 2015, Kerimov included his children on the Polyus board of directors and now has a consolidated 95% stake.

Now Suleiman Kerimov remains the owner of Nafta, whose assets, in addition to Polyus, also include shares in Rostelecom and the PIK group of construction companies.

In recent years, one of Kerimov's biggest investments has been a $200 million investment in the Snapchat messenger. It began to grow immediately after the public offering of shares, then the messenger abruptly lost ground, and its investors were the losers, including Kerimov.

Personal life

Suleiman Kerimov is married to a fellow student, the daughter of a nomenclature official named Firuza. She gave birth to a businessman of three children. Firuza never appears with her husband in public. Suleiman attends social events with other women. According to rumors, Kerimov had affairs with Anastasia Volochkova, Tina Kandelaki and Ksenia Sobchak. According to unofficial sources, Kerimov is a generous suitor, he showers his chosen ones with diamonds and presents other expensive gifts, up to a personal plane.

Hobbies

Karimov is a big sports fan. From 2011-2016, he owned the Anji football club, which became one of the most famous clubs in Russia thanks to the financing of the oligarch. After his arrival, the team acquired world-famous stars Samuel Eto'o and Robert Carlos. Later, Anzhi, which usually finished the championships at the bottom of the standings before the arrival of Kerimov, was joined by several other Russian stars, such as Yuri Zhirkov, Igor Denisov and others. According to them, the transfers were due to interest in playing for this particular Dagestan team, and not high salaries.
The businessman also invested in culture - the largest mosque in Europe, the Moscow Cathedral, was built on his 170 million dollars.

Accident with Kandelaki?

In 2006, Kerimov got into a serious car accident in Nice, which caused a wide public outcry. Firstly, the businessman himself, being at the wheel of a Ferrari, lost control on the track, was badly injured. Three-quarters of his body was covered in burns. Kerimov underwent rehabilitation at a burn center in the city of Marseille, and later at a military hospital in Brussels.

The public was actively interested in the passenger of this car, as there was a rumor that TV presenter Tina Kandelaki was with Kerimov. She herself denied this information.
Having recovered, Kerimov decided to do charity work. He transferred a million euros to the Pinocchio organization, which helps children affected by the fire.

Arrest

In November 2017, Suleiman Kerimov was detained in France. The prosecutor's office accused the businessman of tax evasion when buying real estate on the Cote d'Azur and of illegally transporting cash across the border. According to the prosecution, he took from Russia to France from 500 to 750 million euros.

Russian politicians stood up for Kerimov (he is still a member of the Federation Council). Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, on behalf of the Kremlin, promised that the state would protect the rights of its senator. French prosecutors responded that the businessman had no diplomatic documents at the time of his arrest.

Suleiman Kerimov spent under house arrest until the summer of 2018, most of the time while in France, periodically asking for a few days off to Russia for personal and family reasons. Only in June 2018, Kerimov was fully acquitted.

Upon returning to Russia, Suleiman Kerimov again took up his duties as a parliamentarian. He is also actively involved in charitable activities and spends a lot of time on business trips around the Republic of Dagestan.

Activity today

The senator's main concerns today, like many years before, are connected with the development of Dagestan. Suleiman Kerimov helps build schools and mosques, provides support to pilgrims who annually make the Hajj to Mecca, his son's company is developing the Makhachkala international airport.

In the summer of 2018, the authorities of Derbent, where the senator comes from, announced the creation of a tourist cluster with a center in this ancient city of Russia. Kerimov will take a direct part in the development of tourism in the region, including transferring 1.5 billion rubles to the budget of Derbent. Additional funds will go to the development of infrastructure - the construction of hotel complexes, the construction and repair of roads, etc.

State

In the past few years, according to Forbes, Kerimov's fortune has fluctuated from $7.8 billion in 2011 (maximum) to $1.6 billion in 2016 (minimum).
According to the results of 2017, the state of the oligarch is estimated by the publication at $6.3 billion.

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