Investigators detain VIM-Avia CEO, chief accountant, owners flee

MOSCOW, Sep 28 (PRIME) -- CEO and chief accountant of troubled Russian airline VIM-Avia were detained, while its co-owners have fled the country, the Investigative Committee’s official representative Svetlana Petrenko told reporters on Thursday.

“Within the framework of a criminal case on passenger money theft… CEO of the mentioned company Alexander Kochnev and Chief Accountant Yekaterina Panteleyeva were detained,” she said.

Investigators will soon press charges, and after that request court arrest them, she said.

“Co-owners of the company Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva have fled the country in a hurry, and they are now in a foreign country according to data of investigators. We are now taking measures to disclose their location,” she said.

The airline has been delaying a large amount of flights since mid-summer, and on Monday it admitted it had no money to continue its activities and it would have to stop charter flights. The Investigative Committee launched a criminal case against the airline accusing its managers of stealing money of passengers. The Prosecutor General’s Office launched an inspection of the airline previously.

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