Amirov's life sentence failed to destroy his empire
So far, the assets and businesses of Said Amirov remain under the control of his supporters, said the experts asked by the "Caucasian Knot". According to their opinion, the criminal prosecution and the life sentence were certainly a blow to Amirov's empire, but did not destroy it completely.
The figurants of Amirov's case were accused, in particular, of killing Arsen Gadjibekov, the head of the investigating division of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for the Sovietskiy District of Makhachkala, who was shot dead on December 14, 2011, in Kaspiysk; and of committing the terror act at the shopping-entertaining centre "Moskva" in Kaspiysk on April 2, 2011. Earlier, Amirov was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of planning a terror act with the aim to kill Sagid Murtazaliev, the head of the Dagestani Branch of the Russian Pension Fund.
In the opinion of Gadjimurad Sagitov, the editor-in-chief of the Dagestani weekly "Novoye Delo", the Amirov's empire has not yet collapsed. According to his version, Amirov's businesses cover gas stations, shopping centres and restaurants in Makhachkala and other cities.
Amirov also owns a cognac, champagne, vodka and wine factories, said the source.
Magomed Abdurashidov, a junior researcher at the division of sociology at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Dagestani Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), is sure that the verdict will have no effect on Amirov's assets. However, the increased interest in Amirov's person will weaken after announcement of the verdict, he said.
Milrad Fatullaev, the editor-in-chief of the Dagestani newspaper "Nastoyascheye Vremya" (Present Time), has suggested that Amirov may lose a significant part of his assets within a year.
The criminal case against Amirov "has put an end to the career of one of the most influential persons of Dagestan," the edition named "Mediazona" has written.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.