Father of LUKoil vice president found dead

On Thursday morning, the body of 79-year-old Sadi Sharifov, the father of the LUKoil Vice President, was discovered in Tetri-Tskaroisky district. The reason of his death has not been established yet.

Sadi Sharifov was abducted two weeks ago, on December 3rd. Five criminals broke into the Sharifovs' house in the Pantian village of Georgia's Dmanissky district, where Sadi, his younger son and the son's wife were staying.

According to the local police, Sadi Sharifov voluntarily followed the abductors in an effort to avoid violence with regard to his family members.

Further on, his family received no demands for ransom from the criminals.

Georgia's Prosecutor General has taken the Sharifov case under his personal control.

The investigation is probing into several versions, including the one dealing with the activity of Sharifov's son, Vagit Sharifov, the Vice President of LUKoil.

Nine years ago, in 1993, Sadi Sharifov had already been kidnapped for ransom. Then the four criminals who abducted him were detained and faced trial, but by now they have already been set free.

Meanwhile, the local police think it unlikely that Sharifov's abduction was earlier planned. The senior Dmanissky police officers do not rule it out that the criminals decided to take Sadi Sharifov with them after they realised that there was nothing to steal in his house but $400 in cash and some gold jewellery.

The father of the LUKoil Vice President lived in a small one-storey house with his younger son and daughter-in-law. He worked at the local state farm in Soviet times, and switched over to private farming in his recent years as a pensioner.