The first vice-president of the Russian Wrestling Federation and businessman Omar Murtuzaliev, as well as his wife and three children received “golden passports” of Dominica, a state in the Caribbean. This follows from a joint investigation by The Project, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and other journalists.
As the investigators clarified, a Dominican passport has been available for investment since 1993. You must donate $100,000 to a government fund or buy government-approved real estate worth $200,000 or more. You do not have to visit the island to obtain citizenship. A Dominica passport gives you the right to visit the European Union, China and Singapore without a visa — about 140 countries in total.
In 1993, Murtuzaliev opened the Iliev company and was listed as its general director until May 2023. The company is associated with Azerbaijani-Russian billionaires Zarakh Iliev and God Nisanov, who control Moscow markets. According to journalists, entrepreneurs and Murtuzaliev, the connection was that in the 1990s he worked as a coach at the Institute of Physical Education — later the Cherkizovsky market was built on its territory.
Murtuzaliev, due to his connections with Dagestan athletes and crime, was taken as responsible for ensuring the “power roof,” writes “Proekt”. Initially, the trainer worked with the first owner of the market, Telman Ismailov, but later he was accused of murder. Then Murtuzaliev continued cooperation with the owners of the Kyiv Ploshchad development group, Iliev and Nisanov. Together with them, the company is owned by Vladimir Putin’s classmate Ilgam Ragimov.
The oligarchs also received “golden passports.” Iliev, his two sons and three other relatives became fellow citizens of Murtuzaliev. In addition, a businessman can hold a similar passport in Cyprus. He is now under sanctions from Ukraine and the UK.
Nisanov became a citizen of Dominica immediately after receiving from Vladimir Putin the commemorative medal “70 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War” for his participation in the patriotic education of citizens in 2015. Presumably, the entrepreneur’s four children also hold Dominican passports. His brother and two nephews are citizens of a Caribbean country. The USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Ukraine imposed sanctions against Nisanov.
Journalists found out that Dominica passports were also received by: the founder of financial pyramids BestWay, Life is Good and Hermes Roman Vasilenko, who is wanted in Russia; former head of Antalbank Mikhail Yanchuk, who is accused of stealing depositors' funds; Anton Murashov, who owned the Yishidun International Trading company; as well as the former owner of the Vedomosti newspaper Demyan Kudryavtsev.
Earlier, the Project found out that the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin and his family are using the property of God Nisanov.