UPDATE 2: Russian investigators start criminal case vs VIM-Avia owner

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MOSCOW, Dec 12 (PRIME) -- Russian investigators have initiated a criminal case against an owner of defunct airline VIM-Avia Rashid Mursekayev, spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko said on Tuesday.

The Transport Ministry said it ordered the Federal Air Transport Agency to immediately take measures to repay wage arrears to employees of VIM-Avia and to continue efforts to find jobs for them.

Petrenko said: “An investigation of a criminal case concerning misappropriation of passengers’ money by employees of airline VIM-Avia continues. A criminal case was initiated against an owner of the airline and co-President Rashid Mursekayev, former CEO Alexander Kochnev, former First Deputy CEO and CFO Alevtina Kalashnikova and Chief Accountant Yekaterina Panteleyeva due to detection of new traces of illegal activities.”

The criminal cases were united in a single proceeding, the executives and Mursekayev have been accused of abusing power.

“In fact, VIM-Avia chaired by Mursekayev was a pyramid scheme,” Petrenko said. She said that Mursekayev and his wife received 162 million rubles in salaries and dividends from May 2015 till September 2017, while the losses of the company totaled more than 2.5 billion rubles by September.

Petrenko also said during a court trial on Tuesday that Mursekayev has fled from Russia and has been put on an international wanted list. The lawyer for Mursekayev said that his client has not departed from Russia because he does not have an international passport required to leave the country. The lawyer asked the court to turn down a motion on arrest in absentia.

VIM-Avia discontinued flights in October due to financial issues. Its accounts payable are about 10 billion rubles and the air operator certificate is suspended.

(59.2348 rubles – U.S. $1)

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