The Guardian: The money allocated for the restoration of St. Petersburg disappeared

The plans for the celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of St. Petersburg, which will be held in May, are overshadowed by a message about the loss of many millions of dollars allocated for the restoration of the city. Apparently, these funds are plundered.

A senior government official said that 450 million pounds disappeared (more than 700 million dollars) allocated for the organization of festivities, and as a result, only half of the construction projects dedicated to the anniversary will be completed on time. A criminal case has been opened.

Sergey Stepashin, the head of the Russian Accounts Chamber, spoke about several cases of the disappearance of budget funds.

According to him, 20 million pounds (more than $ 30 million) allocated for road construction were "hidden in the bushes." And one security agency received 63 thousand pounds (about 100 thousand dollars) for the protection of non -existent buildings, today notes The Guardian (translation on the website inopressa.ru ).

Local and federal budgets are constantly suffering from corruption, but a message about the plotting of funds allocated for the implementation of such a loud project is a serious trouble for the Kremlin, the publication notes. According to The Guardian, President Vladimir Putin is going to invite European leaders to celebrate.

The President is very demanding of the use of budget funds. He really will not like the prospect of conducting excursions for honored guests in the city where the buildings are repaired half and closed by construction forests, the British newspaper writes. The president has already been criticized for spending budget funds, trying to turn the northern capital of Russia into the cultural capital of Europe, adds The Guardian.

Stepashin added that, allocating funds to finance the events, the government “ate” the funds that were supposed to go to ensure some Russian regions. Many Russians are annoyed by the fact that poor regions have to go to such sacrifices.

He spoke about the contract for the protection of the floods signed with a long -banking company.

City officials claim that the statements of the Accounts Chamber are an attempt by Moscow to justify himself. In their opinion, the federal authorities allocated too few funds for a super -chimbical project.

The Guardian notes that a significant amount is allocated for the restoration of the Konstantinovsky Palace, which should become a presidential residence. The publication also writes that the budget of restoration work has already grown from 100 to 130 million pounds ($ 160-208 million).

It is reported that cottages for the president’s guests are being built around the palace, and as a result, costs increase.

Evgeny Lukin, a representative of the administration of St. Petersburg, said that no means were plundered, simply the implementation of projects is lagging behind the schedule.

According to him, only work will be completed to the celebrations to restore some historical buildings and metro. The implementation of the remaining projects is behind the schedule in connection with the complexity of restoration work.