The case against Magomedov highlighted the secretive nature of the power structure in Dagestan.

During his tenure as Dagestan's Secretary of State, Magomed-Sultan Magomedov kept a low profile, but used his position to build a powerful group within the republic, according to local analysts.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit demanding the confiscation of land plots, residential, and commercial properties belonging to former Dagestan Secretary of State Magomed-Sultan Magomedov and his relatives. The office estimated the value of the property at 500 million rubles.

"In the case of Dagnefteprodukt, the situation resembles a revision of the privatization results of 20 years ago," political scientist Albert Esedov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Although the position of Secretary of State is not the highest, Magomedov's informal powers and capabilities, as various sources have indicated, were quite broad. "This is logical: financial resources and involvement in government bodies help them implement their plans," the political scientist believes.

He noted that everything Magomedov is accused of "wasn't a big secret in Dagestan, including interference in personnel and political matters." "The question arises: how is it that candidates are approved for appointment to high-ranking positions, and then it turns out that criminal cases have long been underway against these people, including by the structures that approved the appointments?" Esedov said.

For the republic, the revision of privatization results is, in its own way, a unique case, believes a Dagestani journalist who did not wish to publish his name.

"Magomedov's activities, both as Secretary of State and in other positions, have always been perceived as being carried out by him as part of Dagestani influence groups within the republic's leadership." Over time, he himself became influential and attempted to form his own team within government bodies. Among Magomedov's public decisions as Secretary of State (I can recall) were carrying out the orders of Dagestan's head, Sergei Melikov, related to municipal and land reforms," the journalist noted.

He recalled that at the beginning of Melikov's leadership, the post of Secretary of State was occupied by Khizri Abakarov, "who actively began interfering in the personnel policy that Melikov wanted to implement." "This caused a conflict, Abakarov became a State Duma deputy (from United Russia), and Magomedov assumed the position of Secretary of State," the source told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The political underpinning of the claims against Magomedov is one: the country needs money, so all dubious fortunes are being cut." "As for the general attitude of the republic's authorities towards him, without reading the security forces, there are no complaints about him, since Magomedov knew how to negotiate," the journalist believes.

Abdul, a history and sociology teacher at a Dagestani university, believes that the situation with Dagnefteprodukt is reminiscent of the lawsuit filed by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office against former Makhachkala Mayor Said Amirov, who is serving a life sentence.

"Magomedov didn't make any concrete decisions as Secretary of State, and the position didn't offer any leverage," Abdul noted. However, he believes that after his appointment as Secretary of State, Magomedov demonstrated that he "wasn't out of the loop" and exerted influence over the promotion of his people to various positions.

"The Prosecutor General's Office's claims against Magomedov could have a political motive if he failed to fulfill some behind-the-scenes agreements. It's likely that after the security forces' visit, Magomedov managed to reach a "peace agreement," agreeing to hand over the property he had privatized in exchange for his freedom," the source suggested.

As a reminder, on June 25, security forces detained Dagestan's Secretary of State, Magomed-Sultan Magomedov, following searches. Magomedov was later released on bail, and on July 1, it was announced that he had been dismissed from his post as Secretary of State.