The head of the Derbent District administration in Daghestan, Magomed Dzhelilov, has been arrested on suspicion of ‘abuse of power’, and a criminal case has been launched against him.

A source in Daghestani law enforcement told OC Media that the authorities raided the administration offices on 2 March.

‘Law enforcement agents have seized documents. Dzhelilov is suspected of illegally providing land to two local residents. In addition, his house was also searched today’, the source said.

Dzhelilov was detained in his office during the raid.

According to the Caucasian Knot, law enforcement agents took him to a detention facility in Makhachkala. They also report that Dzhelilov’s activities costed the municipality ₽2.2 million ($39,000).

String of detentions continues

On 17 January media reports emerged that an official commission had arrived from Moscow to Makhachkala to inspect the issue of chaotic city development and land allocation. Two days later, detentions began.

As of 1 March, five people have been detained. The first was the former mayor of Makhachkala, Musa Musayev. According to the investigators, he ‘exceeded his official powers’ costing the republic’s budget around ₽80 million ($1.4 million) by granting public land to a commercial firm. A criminal case has been launched and Musayev is currently in detention.

On 2 February, the chief architect of Makhachkala, Magomedrasul Gitinov was detained. The official reason for his detention was a plan of a land plot drawn up with irregularities. A criminal case has also been launched against him.

On 5 February, acting prime minister Abdusamad Gamidov, two of his deputies, Rayudin Yusufov and Shamil Isayev, as well as former education minister Shakhabas Shakhov were all detained. They were taken to Moscow, where a court ordered they be detained for two months on suspicion of fraud in the implementation of social security programmes.

On 27 February, searches were conducted in the house and office of the acting minister of construction, Ibragim Kazibekov. But police have not managed to locate Kazibekov and detain him.

A source in the Daghestani police told OC Media that searches of Kazibekov’s property were being conducted as part of the criminal case against Abdusamad Gamidov.

‘According to the investigation, Kazibekov may be guilty of costing the republic’s budget ₽386 million ($6.85 million)’, the source told OC Media.