Moscow Businessman Arrested in Connection with Two Decades-Old Contract Killings
Moscow, Russia – Businessman Ibragim Suleimanov has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of involvement in two contract killings dating back to 1999 and 2004, Russian state media reported Friday. The arrests come after key testimony from Abakar Darbishev, identified as the alleged gunman in both cases, implicating Suleimanov.
The alleged murders involve Gennady Borisov, the trade union leader of Vnukovo Airlines, who was killed in January 1999, and Georgy Tal, former head of a government bankruptcy body, murdered in April 2004. The case resurfaced following Darbishev’s testimony, though he reportedly died of heart failure while in police custody shortly after providing it. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has ordered Suleimanov and another defendant, Mukhhamed Darbishev, held in pre-trial detention until December 2nd.
Suleimanov, described by state media as a billionaire – though independant verification of his net worth is unavailable – previously served 10.5 years in prison following a 2007 conviction for fraud and money laundering, and was released on parole in 2015. He is reportedly a beneficiary, alongside his son Rasul, of Sirena-Travel, a major IT company responsible for the Leonardo reservation system used in approximately 80% of airline ticket sales in Russia.
The businessman has previously established business connections to prominent figures, including billionaire senator Suleiman Kerimov and Platon Lebedev, a former business partner of exiled oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky – and is, actually, Lebedev’s son-in-law. The re-opening of these long-dormant cases raises questions about potential shifts in power dynamics and the ongoing scrutiny of business figures with ties to Russia’s elite. Investigators will now focus on building a case based on Darbishev’s testimony and any further evidence uncovered.
