The Pushkinsky District Court in St. Petersburg has ordered the two-month detention of Andrei Korolev, who allegedly conspired with an accomplice from the "Business Communications Agency" to sell unauthorized passes for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), according to court officials.
Investigators claim an individual referred to as "Citizen S" paid Korolev one million rubles through an intermediary for a forum pass that falsely identified the buyer as a "photographer" with the Business Communications Agency. Security personnel detained the individual when attempting to enter SPIEF using the fraudulent pass, which was subsequently revoked.
While court documents refer to the buyer using feminine pronouns, Fontanka newspaper reports suggest "Citizen S" is actually a male attorney who chairs a Moscow bar association. The publication did not disclose the individual's name.
Unconfirmed reports from Mash media outlet identify the individual as Ruslan Ruslanov, chairman of the Moscow Bar Association "Ruslanov and Partners." Official sources have not verified this claim.
Investigative journalists note that suspect Andrei Korolev previously served as director of the Kroshka Kartoshka franchise chain and currently holds the position of CEO at Citimarket.