Suleyman Kerimov

Investor in distressed companies, sold nearly all his Russian assets, including shares in Gazprom, government-owned Sberbank and a massive housing development in suburban Moscow prior to Russia's 2008 financial meltdown. The money allowed him to settle his debts and also to purchase stakes in a few European banks including Royal Bank of Scotland and Fortis as well as Russia's largest gold mining outfit, Polyus Gold. Has also invested in real estate company PIK. Most recently, in summer 2010, Kerimov together with fellow billionaires Alexander Nesis and Filaret Galchev bought Dmitry Rybolovlev's controlling stake in Uralkali, the biggest producer of potassium fertilizers in Russia. For repayment of his share he gave Rybolovlev a part of his stake in Polyus Gold. In autumn 2006 he was seriously injured in a car accident after losing control of a Ferrari Enzo on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Recovery was prolonged and painful. Reportedly owns three planes and two yachts. Mr Kerimov's family controls Russia's largest gold producer, Polyus, and he has an estimated net worth of $6.3bn (£4.7bn). Shares in the company fell after news of his arrest broke. Born in Dagestan in 1966, he is a qualified economist who was elected to the Russian State Duma in 2000. He served as an MP for seven years, originally with the nationalist LDPR party, but later switched to the ruling United Russia party. In 2008 he became a member of the upper house of parliament. In 2006 Mr Kerimov suffered severe burns when he crashed his Ferrari Enzo in Nice. To this day he wears skin-coloured gloves to hide the scars. Until last year he owned Dagestani football club Anzhi Makhachkala, where he financed the purchase of star players such as Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto'o. In 2013 Kerimov was wanted in Belarus in connection with the activities of Russian fertilizer giant Uralkali, which he had a stake in. The Belarusian government later removed him from the wanted list.