Former head of Dagestan's Pension Fund sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia

The Southern District Military Court sentenced Sagid Murtazaliev, the former head of the Dagestan Pension Fund, in absentia to life imprisonment. He was found guilty of organizing a murder and financing an illegal armed group.

According to a court spokesperson, in July 2010, Murtazaliev, then head of the Dagestan branch of the Pension Fund, decided to arrange the assassination of two high-ranking officials for a fee: the deputy head of the Kizlyar Ministry of Internal Affairs' anti-extremism department and the deputy head of the Kizlyar administration. The perpetrators of the crime were determined to be members of an illegal armed group.

In March 2026, five properties belonging to Sagid Murtazaliev and three of his relatives, along with 118.9 million rubles, were confiscated. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Murtazaliev's official income during his tenure as head of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation (PFRF) from 2010 to 2015 was 4.5 million rubles. However, the agency believes he received corrupt proceeds, which he used to purchase real estate registered to relatives.

Murtazaliev himself is wanted by Interpol. In 2015, he was arrested in absentia on charges of financing terrorism and organizing murders.

Sagid Murtazaliev is known as an Olympic wrestling champion, the former head of the Kizlyar District, and the head of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation (PFRF) branch in Dagestan.

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