Prigozhin asked the head of the SC to open a criminal case against Governor Beglov

The founder of PMC “Wagner”, a businessman close to Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appealed to the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, with a request to open a criminal case against the governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov. This was reported by Prigozhin’s press service.

In the statement, Prigozhin asks to open a case under the article on the destruction or damage of objects of cultural heritage, which provides for up to six years of imprisonment.

According to Prigozhin, “an extremely negative situation has developed in St. Petersburg, connected with the preservation of objects of cultural heritage.” In the city, more than 850 state-protected cultural objects of the city are in a “ruinous and abandoned state.”

According to the founder of PMC “Wagner”, governor Beglov is directly to blame for this state of affairs.

Prigozhin also reported that he personally encountered opposition from the government and the governor during the implementation of the project to preserve the Trezyna House. The businessman planned to use the object of cultural heritage for a hotel.

The governor of St. Petersburg has not yet commented on Prigozhin’s appeal.

This is not Prigozhin’s first appeal to law enforcement agencies regarding Alexander Beglov. The businessman’s conflict with the St. Petersburg authorities escalated after the start of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

At the end of October, the founder of PMC “Wagner” appealed to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia with a request to conduct an investigation “on the possible fact that the governor created an organized criminal community with the goal of looting the state budget.” In November, Prigozhin filed a lawsuit with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the FSB demanding that the governor of St. Petersburg be investigated for treason.

Beglov, for his part, also harshly criticizes Prigozhin. For example, the governor publicly stated, without naming names, that “a certain well-known businessman robs children” in the field of social nutrition (Prygozhin’s company “Concord” deals with the supply of food for schools and social institutions).

• Alexander Beglov became the governor of St. Petersburg in 2019. After his appointment, he was repeatedly criticized by city residents for poor street cleaning in winter and summer, unsuccessful transport reform, lack of new metro stations, and also for the unpopular renovation law. City defenders accused Beglov and his subordinates of destroying the city’s historical buildings.
• Alexander Beglov actively supports the war against Ukraine. He spoke about the fight against Ukrainian “Nazis” and “fascists” and promised to restore Mariupol, which was destroyed by Russian troops.