MOSCOW, July 13 - RAPSI. The Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case in the attempted theft of $6 million from Nokian Shina, the office's spokesperson Marina Gridneva told RIA Novosti on Friday.

The owners and managers of a collection agency with which Nokian Shina had partnered asked the company to have its debt confirmed by an arbitration tribunal award. By agreement, the award could not be challenged in a commercial court.

Nokian agreed and the tribunal awarded the company 234 million rubles ($7 million) in debt. However, the debtor filed for bankruptcy to evade debt repayment.
Later, the debtor provided the tribunal with false information that Nokian Shina defaulted on counter obligations worth 201 million rubles ($6 million) and the arbitration recognized the liability in full.

A preliminary check continued for half a year, but the case was only opened after the Prosecutor General's Office sent its commission to St. Petersburg. Another criminal case was launched over the debtor's fraudulent bankruptcy. The officers guilty of red tape in performing the check have been disciplined. The Prosecutor General's Office has placed the case in a "chase" file.

Nokian Shina is the Russian subsidiary of the Finnish Nokian Tyres, a major tire manufacturer with its headquarters in the city of Nokia.