Pavel Gerasimov was prosecuted for being a “pig in law”
A businessman who purchased trees for a garden opposite the Mariinsky Palace and decided to fight for his money immediately received an anecdotal twist in his biography. He was charged with extremism for being a cat, Fima Zhiganets will not let him lie.
Founder of the Berkano brand Pavel Gerasimov On December 11, he left the Kirovsky District Court with a decision on a fine of one thousand rubles – but he could have left for 15 days. A story worthy of a series on the level of “A Boy’s Words.”
Gerasimov learned that he was an extremist on November 5, when he was stopped by traffic police inspectors for violating traffic rules. In the process of drawing up the protocol, he told Fontanka, it turned out that the entrepreneur was on some kind of wanted list. While they were waiting for the officers, and the businessman was trying to figure out what was going on, the traffic police officers called and were told to let him go.
The entrepreneur now has enough other worries. Fontanka described in detail the conflict with the temporary garden for 140 million rubles, which the committee solemnly opened on the Blue Bridge in May and has already managed to dismantle. Gerasimov’s company supplied him with its flowerpots and even managed to somehow get money for them from a Smolny gardening company. But the trees were also bought by his legal entity in order to transfer the SPP under the agreement. Here’s the rub: the trees have already been transplanted from pots into St. Petersburg soil, but Gerasimov hasn’t received the money. Now he is trying to get them through the court, and we are talking about more than 60 million rubles. Everything is complicated by the interest of the UK and KSP in the contract for organizing the garden itself.
Gerasimov tried to find out what kind of offense he was charged with. And I came across a frightening name: Center “E” of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It was there that a violation report was drawn up against him: he allegedly allowed “public display of paraphernalia or symbols of extremist organizations,” that is, he violated Part 1 of Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) (range of retribution – from a thousand fine to 15 days).
This organization is the international public movement “A.U.E.” (recognized as extremist in Russia (*aggressor country) and banned in 2020).
Gerasimov, a graduate of the Academy of Prosecutor’s Office and a former employee of the Investigative Committee of the Central District and Customs, shuddered.
However, the bewilderment did not last long. The protocol says that, in fact, the demonstration took place in the businessman’s Telegram account – that is, in the profile header where photographs are uploaded. Gerasimov recalled that at the factory where his street furniture and other products are made, they jokingly painted a lamp in the shape of a pot-bellied cat with prison tattoos. The Fontanka image had to be processed in all seriousness – like a photograph of the torso of some convinced regular at the colony.
“Cat in Law”About one of the cat “tattoos” the protocol says: “the enmity between prisoners and government officials is so strong that prisoners, at any opportunity, strive to get this tattoo, symbolizing their hatred of prison guards, police, and judges.” As for the other, they cite the authoritative opinion of a Russian researcher thieves’ jargon of Fima Zhiganets: it is a response to the greeting “evening in the hut” and often has an aggressive continuation, which again expresses the hostile attitude of thieves who live according to concepts towards law enforcement officers.
The time of the offense was designated as September 14, 9.50, when he was discovered (that is, they went to Telegram), although the photo has been hanging on the profile for several years. Gerasimov rewinded the events and inevitably came to the conclusion: someone decided to look at the ancient comic cat a week after the publication on Fontanka of the material about his dispute with the Komblag and SPP. In it, the businessman insisted that until he was paid off under the contract for the trees, all this beauty that the city boasts belonged to the businessman (as it does now, if you literally read his contract with the city SPP).
Gerasimov was informed about the hearing in the Kirovsky District Court on Saturday, November 9; his lawyer was on a business trip. As a result, on Monday morning, the businessman went to court alone, armed with a legal position in which he challenged the wording of the protocol: a Telegram profile is not intended for public access, and you need to specifically scroll down to the desired photo; There was no administrative investigation, nor an examination. Already in court, he verbally added about his past in the prosecutor’s office and publications in the media, after which everything started to spin. Separately, he insisted that the painted lamp is nothing more than a joke that does not promote, but ridicules prohibited symbols.
– From what does it follow that he is ridiculing? — the judge clarified incredulously.
“Because it is placed on a toy cat,” Gerasimov answered, not knowing what else to add.
The consideration of the case was not postponed, and it was also not possible to write a request for an examination on the spot. After 10 minutes, the judge found Gerasimov guilty, but assessed the impudent cat at the lower limit of the punishment – a fine of a thousand rubles. The businessman intends to appeal against it too.
Fontanka contacted the head of the department Vasily Ponidelkoto find out whether officials have shown such interest in the profile of a businessman who is trying to collect money from an enterprise under their jurisdiction. He assured that he was hearing the story about the cat for the first time from the correspondent. He also added that the committee is in dialogue with Gerasimov and is determined to help him by resolving the dispute within the framework of the law.
