Suleyman Kerimov is a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, headed by Duma’s most scandalous leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Mr. Kerimov, with an estimated net worth of $7.1 billion, is also ranked number 72 on the Forbes list of the world’s richest individuals. Kerimov is the owner of “Nafta-Moskva”, an oil trading company, and he also is involved in many other large Russian businesses. Even though the Russian Parliament (Duma) is in session right now, this did not prevent Mr. Kerimov from retreating to his villa in the south of France. Mr. Kerimov wanted to relax after a stressful week of buying major stakes in Moscow's booming hotel industry.
While speeding through Nice’s English Promenade (where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour) in his black Ferrari Enzo, Mr. Kerimov lost control of his vehicle, hit the curb and crashed into a tree. The car was torn apart and the fuel tank exploded upon impact. According to Nice Matin, Mr. Kerimov is currently in coma with burns over 70% of his body.
The Ferrari Enzo is a highly customized collection vehicle with a price tag of one million dollars; there are only few of them in the world. Enzo owners are known for pursuing extreme speeds, and Mr. Karimov is the fourth Enzo driver to suffer a major accident in the last three months. In the last major Ferrari Enzo crash, the driver wrecked his car after topping 163 miles per hour in Malibu Beach, California.
Several Russian media outlets are speculating that a popular Russian TV hostess, Tina Kandelaki, was in the passenger seat of the vehicle with Suleyman Kerimov. According to local hospital records she was treated and then quickly released with only minor injuries. Tina Kandelaki is married to a prominent Moscow businessman, Andrei Kondrahin, who has refused to comment. Mrs. Kandelaki is now in Moscow and has issued a statement declaring that she even wasn’t in France at the time of the accident. Mrs. Kandelaki claims that she has been at home sick for several days with the mumps.
Tina Kandelaki (photo by ITAR TASS)
The headlines related to Russia these days seem to be straight out of James Bond movie - complete with shootings, death by exotic poisons, and spectacular Ferrari crashes on the French Riviera. Russia Blog will comment on the murder of Alexander Litvinenko very soon. In the meantime, we want to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Suleyman Kerimov.
Comments
Oh my God. Looking at the car I can't beleive he survived. Hopefully he'll be alright.
Posted by: Suny | November 27, 2006 5:51 PM
Hopefully he never wakes up!
Posted by: John | November 28, 2006 12:17 AM
What an idiot
Posted by: Anonymous | November 28, 2006 1:41 AM
Tina Kandelaki just celebrated her 30th birthday.........Superb !
So if I get hold of BP I can afford a woman like this ? When Brown gets to be PM I must become a PFI Prince so i can have a string of women like beautiful Tina
Posted by: TomTom | November 28, 2006 5:02 AM
I take my last statement back! Hopefully he wakes up to realize the life he's been living is wrong and will start to use his wealth to help this world rather than ride around drunk in a million dollar car.
Posted by: John | November 29, 2006 8:05 AM
Those comments are so stupid and immature. Why wish that a person dies and how do u know what life he live or how he spends his money? Think before commenting you morons.
Posted by: Yoshi | December 13, 2006 1:50 PM
hi. how is kerimov now? also, why do you publish in English? I think you're the only other people (in English anyway) who is looking at this story. What do you think of litvinenko? Curious American. Greenzooey
Posted by: james brown | December 16, 2006 2:27 AM
F*****g idiot! thats what he deserves! Who gives a f*** about him anyways!
Posted by: Loshin | January 24, 2007 12:41 PM
that poor car... oh and the driver of course. Wow you are right Russia does seem to be a James Bond Movie these days.
Posted by: eric | February 5, 2007 9:47 PM
I probably would of done the same thing? Money,Women, Fast cars he was just living on the edge scince nothing else turns him on!
Posted by: Anonymous | February 14, 2007 1:46 PM
have a look at ome of these crashes.... h2ofutures.com
Posted by: Anonymous | February 25, 2007 10:28 PM
IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 31, 2007 4:32 AM
oh my god you wrecked your enzo ferrari!!!
Posted by: mark | December 5, 2007 10:07 PM
retard
Posted by: Anonymous | January 24, 2008 4:20 PM