The former Deputy Governor of Saint Petersburg, Marat Hovhannisyan, has been charged with misappropriation of the means allocated for the construction of Zenit Arena football stadium, the press-service of the Russian Investigative Committee informed TASS.

"Chief Investigation Department for Saint Petersburg has brought charges against the former Deputy Governor of Saint Petersburg Marat Hovhannisyan on committing a crime, stipulated by Article 159 (4) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud)," the Investigation Committee representatives noted.

The former official was detained by the investigators jointly with the Federal Security Service Directorate on Wednesday. Search was carried out in Hovhannisyan's residence places in Moscow and Moscow Oblast. He has been convoyed to Saint Petersburg.