Bailiffs seize 115,500 rubles from organiser of cancelled Kanye West concerts in Russia

Bailiffs have seized 115,500 rubles from Say Agency, the company that organised Kanye West's cancelled concerts in Russia. Vedomosti reported the figure from the bailiff enforcement database of the Federal Bailiff Service, Kommersant cited the same sum from TASS and Kontur.Fokus data, and Meduza reported the amount citing TASS. RIA Novosti also reported that bailiffs had seized the organiser's funds. According to TASS, this is the first known seizure of Say Agency's money in the litigation linked to the concerts. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

The enforcement case was opened on the basis of a court decision and an executive writ from the Oktyabrsky District Court of Samara, issued in a civil claim over consumer rights protection, according to Kommersant, Meduza and Vedomosti. Meduza reported that the details of the claim itself were not specified. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]

Say Agency announced two Kanye West concerts at Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena in mid-August, Meduza reported. The venue then said it had not signed a lease agreement for the stadium, so the shows could not be held there — a claim Say Agency disputed, saying ticket sales had been coordinated with Gazprom Arena, according to Vedomosti. Meduza reported that Saint Petersburg media wrote the concerts had not been approved by senior officials. The documents differ on when the cancellation was announced: Kommersant says Say Agency confirmed it on 10 September, while Meduza and Vedomosti say the agency officially announced on 30 September that the events would not take place. Kommersant said it was unknown whether the concerts would be moved to another date. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]

According to the organisers, 100,000 tickets were sold, Meduza reported. Say Agency promised to begin refunding buyers only from 12 October, and Vedomosti reported the agency said the rules and conditions of return would be published later. Kommersant noted that the key question for buyers is who must return the money: this is usually the organiser rather than the artist, but the distribution of responsibility depends on the terms of the contract, which is why claims are directed at Say Agency. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]

Court claims were accumulating before the seizure. Kommersant reported that by 18 September at least two suits had been registered: in Voronezh a buyer sought the return of 145,000 rubles for four tickets, and in Moscow's Sokolniki district 46,000 rubles for tickets plus a 4,200 ruble service fee, along with compensation for moral damages and a fine. Buyers in several cities later also sought to recover transport costs, Kommersant reported. Vedomosti reported that by 24 September six lawsuits totalling 1.4 million rubles had been filed against the agency, the largest by a Moscow resident who bought four tickets for 640,000 rubles and paid a 64,000 ruble commission, and who is seeking a penalty for the delay in voluntary refunds, 100,000 rubles in moral damages and a fine of half the awarded sum. [ 2 , 5 ]

Kommersant and Meduza reported that law enforcement bodies began a pre-investigation check into possible fraud by the event organiser over the refusal to return ticket money once it was known the concerts would not take place. Vedomosti reported that Alexander Belsky, speaker of the Saint Petersburg legislative assembly, described the situation as a commercial matter. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]