Russian police reportedly probe organizer of canceled Kanye West concerts in St. Petersburg over possible fraud
St. Petersburg police are checking Moscow-based Say Agency over possible fraud tied to Kanye West's canceled Russia concerts, after ticket buyers filed complaints.
Police in St. Petersburg's Petrogradsky district have launched an inquiry into possible fraud connected to Say Agency, the Moscow-based company that organized concerts in Russia for rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, the newspaper Kommersant reported, citing an anonymous source.
The gathered material will be forwarded to Moscow, where the headquarters of Russia's Interior Ministry will decide whether grounds exist to open a criminal case. The inquiry began after a member of St. Petersburg's Legislative Assembly, who had received complaints from ticket buyers, requested it.
Concerts called off
West had been scheduled to perform two shows at Gazprom Arena on October 10 and 11. Tickets ranged from 9,000 to 160,000 rubles, and organizers said more than 100,000 tickets were sold within the first two days.
The concert announcement triggered strong criticism from lawmakers and activists, who pointed to the rapper's past remarks about Adolf Hitler and his use of Nazi symbols, and demanded he voice support for Russia's so-called "special military operation." Facing this backlash, Gazprom Arena's management announced on August 24 that the concert would not proceed. Say Agency maintained at the time that the announcement and start of ticket sales had been approved and that a contract with the musician had already been signed.
On September 4, Gazprom Arena reiterated that its October lineup included no concerts by foreign artists. Ticket holders subsequently began demanding refunds from Say Agency, as well as compensation for travel costs and emotional distress. By September 18, the Russia concerts no longer appeared on West's official tour schedule.
