Rakhimov was born in
Ufa. Worldwide, Rakhimov is known to be the only son of
Murtaza Rakhimov, the former president of
Bashkortostan. Throughout most of Rakhimov's life, he maintained a deep interest in science, eventually studying at
Ufa State Petroleum Technological University and graduating in 1984. He then studied at the French Petroleum Institute, receiving a Master's of Science, and then he studied in the United States for another Master's degree. For most of his business career, he was a member of
Bashneft. In 2003, he initiated the creation of
Bashkir capital. During 2009 till early 2010, he was the owner of
Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
Criminal prosecution In April 2014, a criminal case was initiated against Ural Rakhimov. At the end of August 2014, he was charged in absentia with the legalization of illegally obtained funds (Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and embezzlement on a particularly large scale (Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The investigation remains ongoing and, in May 2017, it was extended for another three months, until 28 October 2017. Rakhimov is accused of the illegal appropriation and laundering of shares in Bashneft. Entities under his control sold enterprises of the Bashkir fuel and energy sector to AFK Sistema following their privatization in 2005 and 2009. In September 2014, Rakhimov was placed on the international wanted list. In May 2015, Austrian authorities received a request for the extradition of Ural Rakhimov. However, in March 2016, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court ruled, at the request of the prosecution, not to extradite Rakhimov to Russia, citing political motives behind the criminal proceedings. ==References==