Immigration Police Detain Former Russian Official in Miami

Former vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee and head of the board of directors of North Caucasus Resorts Akhmed Bilalov, who lost his posts after criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, was detained in Miami (Florida). Writes about this with the BBC.

Фото: Depositphotos

The Russian embassy said that so far they have not received any notifications from the American authorities.

Bilalov was detained by officers from the US Customs and Immigration Police (ICE) on Tuesday, October 22, in the morning at his home in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

A former Russian official lived with his wife and newborn baby.

An ICE representative was unable to provide any details of Bilalov’s arrest. An Interpol spokeswoman in Washington said she did not have information regarding the detention of the Russian.

It remains unclear whether Bilalov was detained at the request of Russia, or whether they intend to expel him from the United States for any other reason.

On the subject: How Russians make money on 'sofas' in America

The Russian embassy in the United States said that in connection with reports of the detention of Bilalov, they sent a request to the State Department.

“From press reports we learned about the detention of A.G. Bilalov in the state of Florida. We received no notifications about the incident from local authorities. A corresponding request has been sent to the State Department. We are waiting for a reaction,” the embassy’s press service said.

In May 2019, the American authorities requested information “in connection with Bilalov’s residence in the United States,” Moscow then submitted documents to Washington that the former head of the North Caucasus Resorts was put on the international wanted list.

It is impossible to extradite Bilalov from the United States to the Russian Federation, since there is no corresponding agreement between Moscow and Washington. It can only be deported. However, Moscow is not aware of any US decisions in this regard.

What is Ahmed Bilalov famous for

A native of Dagestan Bilalov in the 1999-2007 years was a deputy of the State Duma of Russia, and in the 2011-2012 years - a senator from the Krasnodar Territory.

At the end of 2009, Bilalov was appointed vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and a year later he headed the company “Resorts of the North Caucasus” (KSK), which was created to develop a tourism cluster in the North Caucasus Federal District.

Bilalov lost these posts after Putin, who visited the Olympic construction site in Sochi, publicly scolded him for failing to meet deadlines and raising the cost of building the Russian Hills ski jumping complex.

Soon, Bilalov was prosecuted for abuse of power. The investigation decided that the official wasted budget money allocated by KSK for foreign trips “using luxury items” - in particular, he spent more than 3 million rubles on a trip to the Olympic Games in London.

On the subject: Our borsch: how the Russian Foreign Ministry used the Ukrainian dish for military propaganda of the Russian Federation

Another criminal case was brought against brother Bilalov Magomed, who was a co-owner of the National Development Bank and the contractor of the Olympic construction site Krasnaya Polyana. He was suspected of causing damage to the main creditor - Sberbank.

In March 2013, the brothers left Russia, Magomed Bilalov confirmed that he was being treated in Germany.

According to media reports, in 2016, criminal cases against the Bilalov brothers were dropped. The reason for this was that they “did not give revealing interviews, sold the business, sat quietly abroad and did not blame the Russian authorities.”

The Interior Ministry then said that this was not true and active investigative actions against the Bilalovs were ongoing. It follows from the database of the ministry that Akhmed Bilalov is still wanted.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Bite a policeman: Nazarbayev’s grandson convicted in London

A request to Putin: the case of an Israeli woman detained in Russia may cause an international scandal

Alcohol, drugs, murders: a native of Ukraine faces 378 years in prison

Immigration and divorce: stories of collapsed international marriages through the eyes of a lawyer

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.