MOSCOW, August 11 (RAPSI) - The Moscow Commercial Court has registered five lawsuits brought by Russia’s Defense Ministry against Aviaremont, subsidiary of the state-run Oboronservis holding company, to collect over 9.6 billion rubles ($150.2 mln), the court told RAPSI on Tuesday.

The ministry’s largest lawsuit is for 4.8 billion rubles ($75.1 mln).

Currently, commercial courts are hearing two disputes between the Defense Ministry and Aviaremont. Under one of the claims, the Moscow Commercial Court ruled that the company pay 100 million rubles ($1.56 mln) in penalty for breaching a state contract for maintenance and repair of the ministry’s aircraft in 2011. The plaintiff initially requested over 3 billion rubles ($46.9). The ministry appealed the ruling of a lower instance court.

Under the second lawsuit, the plaintiff requested a penalty of 2.2 billion rubles ($34.4 mln) under a helicopter maintenance contract with the ministry in 2011. A court has not heard the case yet.

Yury Stolyarov, department head at the Federal Service for Defense Contracts (Rosoboronzakaz), said in May 2013 that Aviaremont owed the Defense Ministry up to 115 billion rubles ($1.8 bln).

Aviaremont’s spokesperson told RIA Novosti back in October 2014 that the company almost completed the repair and maintenance works under the contract with the Defense Ministry.

Moscow-based Aviaremont reportedly controlled 39 companies and plants that provided aircraft repair and maintenance services. As a result of a wide-ranging restructuring of Oboronservis, it was left with 14 companies last summer.