"A true patriot of the Motherland": a rector with elite real estate in France lost both his position and the university.

The court transferred an entire university to state ownership. It was slated for nationalization. got complex of buildings in St. Petersburg, which houses the Trade Union Humanitarian University. The total area of ​​the seized property is 54 square meters, and its market value is estimated at 8 billion rubles.

As stated in the Prosecutor General's Office's lawsuit, the university's property, built with state funds, was illegally appropriated by the rector. Alexander Zapesotsky and was used by him for personal enrichment. In particular, he handed His son's offshore company acquired ownership of a building worth 200 million rubles, which was subsequently sold. Furthermore, the rector secured loans worth 813 million rubles using university property as collateral, entered into fictitious lease agreements, embezzled budget funds, and withdrew over 600 million rubles from Russia, investing it in foreign businesses and luxury real estate in France.

Alexander Zapesotsky headed the university since 1991. He is remembered, among other things, for the fact that installed Absurd rules for students: he required them to shave their legs and "conform to the image," organized beauty contests for female applicants, and posted photos of girls on a "wall of shame." Media called his "man of scandal," "an incredibly active thug," "a lover of the fair sex and expensive cars," "a visitor to the elite casinos of Las Vegas."

Since 2012, he has been Putin's confidant.

The Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit against Zapesotsky in late September. He was then removed from his position as rector, suspected of organizing student protests.

Zapesotsky claimed He told the court that he never intended to organize protests, but, on the contrary, had been suppressing them for years. The suspicion of disloyalty offends him and brings back memories of 1937: "I am placed in the same category as characters like Navalny and Khodorkovsky."

Zapesotsky called himself "a true patriot of the Motherland." However, he did not deny sending money abroad: “All my accounts are registered, I have not transferred a single kopeck underground.”