MMM 2011 warned its partner advertising agencies that the authorities might try to exert some pressure on them, UrBC was informed by the agency Open Doors that placed some ads for the pyramid scheme on the front walls of ComsoMALL Shopping Center in Yekaterinburg.

Now Sverdlovsk Region’s Minister for Investment & Development Mikhail Maksimov announced that he was going to hold negotiations with the owners of buildings carrying the project’s ads and to insist on having the advertisements dismantled.

‘We received a warning from MMM regarding the possible pressure on the part of the local authorities. However, nothing of the kind has happened so far: there were no phone calls or letters whatsoever,’ acting Sales Director of Open Doors Yekaterinburg branch Valentina Yegorova told UrBC.

Ms Yegorova observed that no emergency dismantling of the ads was to be expected, the agency’s cooperation with MMM would come to an end at the designated time, and the ads would be taken off the walls of the mall within two weeks’ time, as soon as a new customer for the advertising space has been found.

Open Doors is a member of Moscow-based OPEN Group.