The case against the deputy mayor of Karachayevsk, who had been in hiding for eight years, has reached court.

Alibek Karaketov, Deputy Mayor of Karachayevsk, who had been on the international wanted list for eight years in connection with embezzlement, was arrested in March. His property has been seized, and the case, with charges under four articles of the Russian Criminal Code, has been sent to court.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Alibek Karaketov, First Deputy Mayor of Karachayevsk, is suspected of embezzling 15.5 million rubles during the construction of a cultural development center. The official has been placed on the international wanted list.

According to investigators, Karaketov authorized the City Hall's Department of Property and Land Relations to enter into a contract with a contractor for the construction of the "Cultural Development Center." He also verbally instructed that the contractor, created just four days before the contract for over 99 million rubles, be awarded without a competitive bid. This company was paid 15.5 million rubles for uncompleted work.

The Investigative Committee of Russia for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic reported the completion of its criminal investigation into the former first deputy mayor of Karachayevsk. He is accused of committing eight counts of crimes - abuse of office (Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code), official forgery (Part 3 of Article 33, Part 2 of Article 292 of the Criminal Code), fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code) and forgery of documents (Part 3 of Article 33, Part 2 of Article 327 of the Criminal Code).
 
According to the investigation, in 2015, within the framework of the state program "Development of Culture and Tourism", more than 49 million subsidies were allocated from the federal budget of the administration of the Karachayevsky urban district for the construction of the Center for Cultural Development in the city of Karachayevsk.
 
The accused, during the period of acting mayor, instructed a subordinate to conclude a construction contract with a commercial firm under his control without a competition, and then drew up fictitious documents, including acts of acceptance of completed work. On the basis of these documents, the contractor was Budget funds were transferred, although the work was not completed in full. Damage to the city amounted to more than 13 million rubles, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic reported on its Telegram channel.
 
After the criminal case was initiated in 2018, the official went into hiding and left Russia; he was placed on the international wanted list. The court arrested him in absentia. In March 2026, the man was detained and remanded in custody.
 
At the request of the investigative body, the court seized the accused's property. The criminal case has been sent to court.

The investigative body's statement concerns Alibek Karaketov, TASS writes.

As a reminder, in April 2014, the prosecutor's office stated that Alibek Karaketov was appointed the first deputy mayor of Karachayevsk in September 2013, without abandoning his entrepreneurial activity. However, in the mayor's office... href="https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/240314/">denied this.

Karaketov didn't have time to make a lasting impression as deputy mayor of Karachayevsk, city residents reported earlier after reports of his search.