The king of the Cherkizovsky market has lost everything and has come to accusations of murder. The former owner of Cherkizon, businessman Telman Ismailov, was declared bankrupt Who held Cherkizovsky

Former owner of the Cherkizovsky market Telman Ismailov, accused of contract murder, is hiding in Montenegro. An informed source told The CrimeRussia about this. According to him, the fugitive oligarch agreed with the ruling circles of this country not to extradite him to the Russian authorities.

Recall that last year the Ismailov family lived in a mansion on the territory of the Mardan Palace hotel complex in Antalya. However, fearing that they would be extradited to the Russian authorities, they left Turkey, as local law enforcement agencies had questions for Telman Ismailov. According to Turkish investigators, he is implicated in the murder of thief in law Rovshan Dzhaniev (Rovshan Lenkoransky). Then the family of the oligarch moved to France. But even there he did not feel safe, since he was put on the international wanted list through Interpol.

He currently resides in a rented villa in Montenegro. It was there that he recorded his recent video message, where he expressed fears that his brother Rafik Ismailov could be “eliminated” before trial.

The defense of the former driver Telman Ismailov asks the Moscow City Court to check the legality of his arrest

The defense appealed against the arrest of the former driver of the ex-owner of the Cherkizovsky market, Telman Ismailov, Vladimir Gusakov, accused of kidnapping the artist Avraam Russo in 2004.

“We sent an appeal by mail. Somewhere within a month, the Moscow City Court should check the legality of the decision of the Basmanny Court, ”lawyer Maxim Dobrokhvalov told Interfax on Saturday.

According to him, the date for the consideration of the appeal has not yet been set.

V. Gusakov is charged with part 2 of article 126 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abduction of a person committed by a group of persons by prior agreement, with the use of violence dangerous to life or health, or with the threat of such use). If his guilt is proven, the former driver faces a sentence of five to 12 years in prison. He hasn't been charged yet.

On September 18, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested V. Gusakov. On September 20, the court also arrested another person involved in the case - T. Ismailov's nephew Zaur Mardanov. He was charged under the same article.

Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Telman Ismailov's nephew in the case of kidnapping

The Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested the nephew of the ex-owner of the Cherkizovsky market Telman Ismailov Zaur Mardanov, RAPSI writes.

“Satisfy the petition of the investigation, select a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 2 months against the accused,” RAPSI quotes the words of the judge.

According to the agency, Mr. Mardanov is charged under "a", "c" part 2 of Article 126 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abduction of a person by a group of persons by prior agreement; with the use of violence dangerous to life or health, or with the threat of such violence). According to media reports, in 2004 Zaur Mardanov allegedly kidnapped the singer Abraham Russo.

Prigozhin spoke about the fight on the plane with billionaire Telman Ismailov

The famous Russian producer Iosif Prigogine in the program "New Russian Sensations" said that he considers the day when he met the singer Abraham Russo and his sponsor Telman Ismailov the blackest in his life.

Prigozhin said that he was asked to promote the figure of Rousseau. And Prigogine succeeded. Rousseau became in demand and began to earn good money. Ismailov gave Russo apartments and cars. However, he could humiliate a star in public.

One day, Ismailov and Rousseau, together with Prigogine, flew to Nice. Ismailov began to drag Rousseau by the ear and humiliate him. Prigozhin could not stand it and asked the billionaire not to interfere with the singer, with whom he still had to work. Ismailov got into a fight with Prigogine.

The ex-owner of the Cherkizovsky market Telman Ismailov, suspected of contract killing, is hiding in Montenegro. This was reported to The CrimeRussia by a well-informed source. According to him, the fugitive tycoon concluded an agreement with the ruling circles of this state on non-extradition to the Russian government.

Telman Ismailov is a talented and very successful businessman

Telman Ismailov is a non-standard entrepreneur and a brilliant leader. For a long time, the name of this wealthy businessman was associated only with the work of the famous Cherkizovsky market in the capital. To date, the market is no longer there, but Telman's promotion is still ongoing. At the present time, the AST group of companies, owned by Ismailov, owns an effective business, containing many different sections. Cargo transportation, construction, book printing, restaurant business, and much more - all this is considered only a small fraction of the assets of the famous Azerbaijani businessman.

Telman's new multi-billion dollar business

It is significant that after the entrepreneur lost the Cherkizovsky market, he made an attempt to buy the most profitable similar institution in Ukraine - the 7 kilometer market near Odessa, where merchants deliberately come to buy not only from all over the state, but also from Moldova and Belarus . But at the same time, with Telman Ismailov, President Viktor Yanukovych had his eye on this market, for that period, and the enterprise was transferred into the hands of his agents.

Telman himself decided to sit out the crisis in Turkey. He opened the Mardan Palace Hotel in Antalya, named after the entrepreneur's father, who would have turned exactly 100 years old when the hotel opened. By the way, the German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" called "Mardan Palace" the most expensive hotel on the continent, since its construction took at least a billion dollars.

Telman Ismailov is hiding in Montenegro

Last year, the Ismailov family lived in a cottage on the land plot of the Mardan Palace hotel complex in Antalya. But, fearing extradition to the Russian government, they left Turkey, as the district law enforcement agencies had questions for Telman Ismailov. According to the explanations of Turkish investigators, he was involved in the process of the murder of thief in law Rovshan Lenkoransky (Dzhaniev). Then the magnate's family emigrated to France. However, even there Ismailov did not feel safe, as he was put on the international wanted list.

He currently lives in a rented villa in Montenegro. Right there, he recorded his recent video message, where he stated fears that his brother Rafik could be “liquidated” before the trial. Regarding him, the investigation was completed and soon the verdict in organizing the murder of 2 businessmen (part 2 of article 105 and article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) must be confirmed by the prosecutor's office, after which the materials will be submitted to the court.

A few years ago, hundreds of thousands of people came here to buy in order to save money and buy something inexpensive for themselves and their loved ones. Indeed, merchants from Vietnam and China, who worked en masse at this commercial facility, offered cheap goods from Southeast Asia, although their quality often left much to be desired. Today, many with a shudder recall the Cherkizon market.

"State within a State"

Its territory had its own laws and functioning of its own authorities. It had its own prosecutor's office, its own customs, its own judicial system, and even entertainment establishments offering escort services. Moreover, the population, which firmly settled and took root in the Cherkizovsky market, was motley: Uzbeks, Chinese, Vietnamese, Azerbaijanis, Caucasians, as it turned out later, were engaged in by no means legal business.

For the sake of profit and enrichment, migrants did not disdain to trade drugs and trade in smuggling. Moreover, the owner of this large commercial facility himself bathed in money, without denying himself anything. And yet, the moment came when the authorities were able, despite all the difficulties and difficulties, to close the Cherkizovsky market, which had long turned into a hotbed of crime. The details of this resonant story suddenly hit the pages of the Russian press. What are its details?

"Do you remember how it all started…"

Now many people think that the Cherkizovsky market appeared literally out of nowhere. And in the early 90s, in its place was a huge wasteland, an area of ​​​​about two hundred hectares. The Cherkizovsky market was adjacent to the Delta Research Institute, which was engaged in advanced developments in the field of electronics. After the collapse of the USSR, many light industry factories began to be liquidated, so the production of clothing and essentials, which were already in short supply in the Soviet era, basically stopped. Soon a new profession appeared - "shuttle".

It was her representative who began to provide the domestic consumer with "consumer goods", which was brought mainly from Romania, Turkey, China, Yugoslavia. This is how the first stalls appeared in the eastern part of the capital. Over time, retail space began to grow to the scale of the market.

"Master from Baku"

But who began to manage the commercial platform, where for a relatively inexpensive price it was possible to buy “varenki jeans”, puffy jackets and platform shoes that were fashionable in the early 90s? It turned out to be an entrepreneur from the Azerbaijani capital Telman Ismailov. As it turned out, the owner of the Cherkizovsky market owned the AST commercial group, which formed the basis of the trading platform. However, it included an additional 12 commercial zones, each of which belonged to a specific person.

Initially, the co-owners of the facility, which later began to bring enormous profits, were entrepreneurs Nizam Yusubov, Zarakh Iliev, God Nisanov. The number of co-founders of Cherkizon previously included the Moscow government, which owned significant land areas, on which, in fact, the market was located. But what is known about its main owner?

Telman Ismailov (the owner of the Cherkizovsky market) from a young age began entrepreneurial activity by opening his own store in his homeland. Then the merchant went to study at the Plekhanov Academy, and a little later he met Yuri Luzhkov, who worked as an assistant to the chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee. In parallel, the official led the commission, which allowed a person to engage in cooperation and individual labor activity. The future mayor of the capital helped a novice entrepreneur from Baku to take his first steps in business. After some time, Telman Ismailov created the AST structure.

Business becomes criminal

And then the Cherkizovsky market began to grow, gain momentum. Its infrastructure developed rapidly: eateries, cafes, hairdressers appeared. Corruption began to flourish. The market began to sell counterfeit goods. Underground workshops grew like mushrooms after the rain, which made products exclusively for Cherkizon. Moreover, the market was dominated by complete unsanitary conditions, and trade was carried out in conditions of non-compliance with fire safety standards.

Naturally, in order for the regulatory authorities to “turn a blind eye” to these shortcomings, the market administration “paid a bribe”. In addition, drug dealers began to operate on the territory of the facility, which only exacerbated the criminogenic situation in the east of Moscow.

state of emergency

And in 2006, the Cherkizovsky market got into the criminal news bulletin. Unknown people planted a bomb on the territory of the object. The explosion at the Cherkizovsky market had dire consequences: about three dozen people received shrapnel wounds and about seven people died. Naturally, the detectives immediately began to clarify the circumstances of the incident and the search for the perpetrators. In the end, law enforcement agencies managed to find out who set off the explosion at the Cherkizovsky market. Members of the nationalist group were brought to criminal responsibility. They simply explained their illegal act: in this way they wanted to clear the market of persons of “non-Slavic appearance”.

Law enforcement raids

Naturally, the police repeatedly visited the territory of the "problem" object, which has established itself as a "cesspool of criminal elements." The operatives had enough evidence that narcotic drugs were being sold in some trading pavilions. When the law enforcement officers came to carry out the relevant checks, the Cherkizon security service tried in every possible way to impede their official activities.

The guards immediately uttered a code word on the radio, and the merchants, as if by magic, covered all traces of their criminal activities and simply fled. And getting lost in the back streets of the market was a trifling matter for them. And yet, the detectives managed to find underground workshops on the territory of the facility, in which products were made for the end consumer. People from Southeast Asia worked in them. Moreover, this business brought fabulous profits to Telman Ismailov.

The owner of the Cherkizovsky market acquired the luxurious Mardan Palace hotel in Turkey, having previously invested over one billion dollars in it. On this occasion, he organized a simply breathtaking pompous banquet, where even Hollywood stars were invited. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov was also at the celebration. And the scope of the event echoed to the high-ranking officials of the Kremlin, who finally decided to put an end to the shadow business of the Azerbaijani entrepreneur once and for all.

Attempts to fight crime in "Cherkizon" still crowned with success

One way or another, but the city authorities repeatedly intended to close the "problem object". Even at the beginning of the 2000s, the owner of the Cherkizovsky market was a defendant in court in the case of termination of a land lease agreement, but despite the fact that the court sided with the prosecutor's office, the trading floor continued to function.

Only in 2009, under pressure from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, did the situation move forward. The head of government then sharply criticized the work of the customs authorities, which “let through” contraband goods for a fee. And a few weeks later, Cherkizovsky Market (address: Sovetskaya Street, property 80, buildings 6, 7, 8; Lilac Boulevard, property 2A, 2B, property 4; District passage, property 5; District passage, property 3A, building 1; Projected proezd 890) was temporarily closed at the initiative of Rospotrebnadzor employees. Supervisory authorities recorded facts of violation of sanitary standards at the facility. And soon, as a result of another raid, representatives of the Federal Migration Service discovered an army of illegal migrants in the market.

Who put an end to the matter?

However, Ismailov's inner circle has their own version of why Cherkizon was liquidated. The thing is that both customs structures and regulatory authorities, after harsh criticism of Putin, began to actively collect compromising evidence. Their activities gradually turned into a tough competition. But this in no way prevented the closure of the Cherkizovsky market in Moscow. And in parallel with this, the investigating authorities initiated a criminal case against the administration of the “problem object”.

The prefecture of the capital issued an official document on the closure of the facility. So the Cherkizovsky market in Moscow was liquidated.

And what after that?

As soon as all legal procedures for the liquidation of the trading facility were completed, the authorities ordered the process of dismantling the pavilions and tents to begin. But what will the former Cherkizovsky market look like after that? City officials have already discussed this issue on the agenda. They did not drag it out with it, since the Muscovites themselves were not indifferent to what would be built on the site of the Cherkizovsky market. Firstly, modern sports grounds will appear here, secondly, new shopping malls, and thirdly, a hotel and a hostel for students.

Cherkizon was once considered the largest wholesale clothing market in Russia. Goods came here from China, through the port of Khabarovsk, where bales with counterfeit goods were brought on boats.
According to information received by TV journalist Arkady Mamontov, law enforcement officers found millions of kilograms of contraband goods worth a total of $2 billion at the Cherkizovsky market. Nobody paid taxes or customs fees for these things. Mamontov reported (and this was confirmed by Russian customs officers in his TV report) that the clothes and shoes sold at Cherkizon were a real health hazard, since they were made using prohibited substances.

As the chief inspector of the Customs Inspection Department of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation Dmitry Ratanin noted, Rospotrebnadzor specialists, checking the products that were in numerous warehouses, did not write out a single positive sanitary and epidemiological conclusion about the quality of this cheap Chinese consumer goods. The inspectors also failed to find documents on the origin of these goods.

According to Boris Chernyshov, adviser to the head of the Customs Inspection Department of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, Cherkizon was a city within a city that had its own management system and its own security service and was divided according to nationality into Chinese, Vietnamese, Tajik and other "quarters". According to the Russian customs service, at least 10,000 foreign citizens lived in the territory of Cherkizon alone, connected in one way or another with this market.

Experts name the figure of those who constantly worked in the market: over 100 thousand people, mostly Chinese citizens. And in the district near the market, most of the apartments were either bought up by merchants or rented by them. As Boris Chernyshov said, Cherkizon consisted of 17 markets, and each of them had its own structure. According to law enforcement agencies, underground casinos and brothels for their own (market personnel) were located there, where dozens of Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese girls were kept in slavery.

Telman Ismailov is associated with contract killings.

The former owner of the famous Cherkizovsky market, Telman Ismailov, became a defendant in the investigation of the activities of a criminal group, which is suspected of committing eight contract killings. Together with the oligarch, his brothers may also be involved in the case. "Our Version" figured out how Telman Ismailov went from one of the richest people in the country to a potential defendant and why the criminal scandal broke out right now.

In May last year, in the Moscow region, the bodies of the owner of the Stroy-Market shopping center Vladimir Savkin and the director of the Lublino-Motors company Yuri Brilev were found in the passenger compartment of a car. Both businessmen were shot dead. On suspicion of murder, law enforcement officers soon detained a certain Mehman Kerimov. During the interrogation, according to Rosbalt, he admitted that he was brought to the crime scene and then taken back by the brother of the oligarch Rafik Ismailov. The reason for the murder was allegedly that Vladimir Savkin allegedly owed him a large sum. According to another version, it seems that Ismailov himself did not want to give Savkin the money he received from the sale of the shopping and entertainment complex.

The issue of Telman Ismailov is now being resolved. It is possible that he, too, will be put on the wanted list. Rafik Ismailov was taken into custody. The second brother, Vagif, in whose apartment Karimov was holed up, could not be detained, since he had gone on the run in advance. The piquancy of the situation was given by the fact that Vagif Ismailov until recently was an employee of the Main Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Nevertheless, law enforcement officers managed to follow the trail and establish that they, apparently, have to deal with a whole criminal gang.

Therefore, new arrests followed. During interrogation, someone Harry Belotserkovsky said that he was ready to make a deal with the investigation and, in exchange for the court's indulgence, tell the whole truth. As a result, he spoke about eight contract killings committed from 2000 to 2016, in which the Ismailovs were allegedly involved. So, the first victim was Andrei Lobanov, a representative of the Koptev organized criminal group, who was shot in December 2000 on Dmitrovskoye Highway. Belotserkovsky reportedly admitted that he personally heard Rafik and his brother Telman discuss the murder of Lobanov. Later, several more Koptevs were killed, who did not want to let the Ismailovs to profitable trading facilities in the Northern Administrative District of the capital. Thus, the clan of brothers probably managed to subdue several markets and shopping centers. Strengthening the business, according to some observers, could be facilitated by the friendship of Telman Ismailov with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, as well as the stay of another brother, Fazil, as deputy prefect of the SAO.

“The issue of Telman Ismailov is now being resolved. It is possible that he will also be put on the wanted list, ”Rosbalt quotes the words of its source in law enforcement agencies. The oligarch himself is currently unknown where - it is suggested that he may be in Turkey or Israel.

President's abuser

The scandal around Telman Ismailov can be considered a sensation in its own way. Recently, domestic oligarchs have repeatedly found themselves in the field of view of law enforcement officers, but, as a rule, it was about financial fraud. Now we are talking about a serious crime, flavored with blood. The last time Mikhail Khodorkovsky was accused of this. Now Ismailov got into this company. Who will be next? But similar skeletons can certainly be found in the safes of people from the dashing 90s ...

It is worth noting, however, that Telman Ismailov himself is no stranger to scandals. In the mid-90s, Cherkizon, as Ismailov's Cherkizovsky market was colloquially called, became a household name. Streams of smuggling and unrecorded cash passed through Cherkizon, and he himself turned into a ghetto for migrants from Asia, where laws did not apply. Naturally, such a "black hole" could not exist without patronage from above. For example, as Forbes wrote, in 2002, the head of the State Customs Service, Mikhail Vanin, allowed the strict measures imposed on consumer goods from China not to be applied to the temporary storage warehouse located in Cherkizon, thus establishing a special regime for customs clearance of goods. More than once it was said about the condescending attitude towards what is happening in the market on the part of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As a result, Cherkizon became a goldmine for Ismailov, allowing him to realize his wildest fantasies. In 2006, the Financial Times included the Russian oligarch in the list of the most extravagant billionaires in the world after he flew to a party in France on a gilded plane. However, Ismailov's real shock came in the fall of 2009, when he pompously opened the $1.4 billion luxury hotel Mardan Palace in Antalya, Turkey. Richard Gere, Sharon Stone and Monica Bellucci entertained the guests at the opening ceremony, Yury Luzhkov and Iosif Kobzon cut the red ribbon. Ismailov walked like a gogol, announcing in the morning that he had received Turkish citizenship. However, this celebration was the beginning of his end.

They say that the foppishness of the oligarch, who invests billions in the economy of another country in the crisis, angered Vladimir Putin personally (he himself later confirmed this during the “straight line”). A week later, the Investigative Committee reported the discovery at Cherkizon of goods "not meeting consumer health safety requirements." Next, a criminal case was initiated on smuggling, searches were carried out in the Praga restaurant owned by Ismailov. Realizing that he smelled fried, the oligarch left Russia.

defector

How the story with Ismailov will end, for now, one can only guess. The fact that its ending may not be so unambiguous is indicated by the behavior of the investigating authorities - law enforcement officers are in no hurry to proudly report on the disclosure of the case of the “oligarch-killer”, as it should have happened in such a situation. Perhaps, of course, everything is still ahead and the investigators are prudently silent, consolidating the evidence base. Or maybe everything will be different - in the end, 10 years ago, Ismailov never got on trial, although the President personally announced the smuggling in Cherkizon then.

Therefore, perhaps, you should not rush into forecasts. It is unlikely that anyone will argue that the fate of people of this level is decided outside the high lobbies. In addition, some observers believe that the news about Ismailov's possible connection with crime may be an attempt to put pressure on him. Not so long ago, the oligarch was declared bankrupt by his own statement, but he is in no hurry to pay his debts, hiding from creditors. At the same time, the oligarch owes more than 18 billion rubles to BM-Bank, which is part of the VTB structure. “With a high degree of probability, this is an attempt to put pressure on Ismailov on the subject of bankruptcy and on the subject of assets,” Dmitry Abzalov, president of the center for strategic communications, told Business FM. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that in this way the ex-owner of Cherkizon really wants to be made more accommodating.
However, against this background, another story comes to mind. It is known that, having hastily left Russia, he subsequently tried to earn forgiveness and return home.

So, in February 2010, Ismailov, unexpectedly for everyone, flew to Chechnya. According to the press service of the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov held talks with the oligarch, as a result of which he agreed to invest in investment projects lobbied by Grozny. And two months later, RBC, citing a source in the government, said that Ismailov offered his services to the Russian authorities as an investor-developer of the Olympic Sochi, demonstrating his readiness to build a hotel complex with 4.2 thousand rooms worth a billion dollars. In fact, it was not an investment, but the purchase of an indulgence, and the method seemed to be a win-win - shortly before that, in the same way, another oligarch who fell into disgrace, Mikhail Gutseriev, was able to earn forgiveness from the Motherland.

However, Ismailov did not burn out like this. Either his patrons on the Olympus of power turned out to be not strong enough (it was reported that Alexander Khloponin, presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District, could act as an intercessor), or the resentment against the owner of Cherkizon was too deep. Or, as other commentators suggested then, “at the top”, in principle, do not want to get involved with Ismailov, knowing some unsightly secrets about him. Does the latest version seem to be correct? Apparently, it was not for nothing that the founder of communism, Karl Marx, once said: “The basis of any large fortune is crime.”