The Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region has granted the claim of the General Prosecutor's Office, resulting in the transfer of the property of the St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences (SPbGUP) to state ownership. This information was reported by the publication "Fontanka."
Additionally, the court agreed with the law enforcement agencies' demand for the immediate implementation of the decision. Defense representatives announced plans to appeal the verdict.
Earlier, on September 22, it became known that the General Prosecutor's Office had initiated a lawsuit to transfer the property assets of SPbGUP to the state. At the time of filing the lawsuit, the rector of the institution since 1991 was Alexander Zapesotsky, who was suspended from his position shortly after the proceedings began.
According to the position of the law enforcement agencies, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, together with Zapesotsky, carried out the illegal registration of the university's property, which originally belonged to the state. The former rector was accused of long-term use of the university's property for personal gain. SPbGUP itself characterized these accusations as "fabricated."
Later, the General Prosecutor's Office stated that Zapesotsky had attempted to organize protest actions and, on this basis, demanded an acceleration of the judicial proceedings. The university's official website previously reported that Zapesotsky has been a trusted representative of Vladimir Putin since 2012.