MOSCOW, September 28 (RAPSI) – VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant, Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva, have been arrested as part of embezzlement case against employees of the company, the Russian Investigative Committee’s press-release reads on Thursday.

Investigators plan to bring charges against the suspects and to seek their detention by a court soon.

Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid and Svetlana Mursekayevs fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, the press-release reads. Investigators took measure to locate them as well.

Earlier today, Mosstroybank filed a bankruptcy claim against Vim Airlines with the Tatarstan Commercial Court.

On September 27, the Investigative Committee official representative Svetlana Petrenko told RAPSI that investigative authorities took measures to recover damage caused by employees of the airline as part of the notorious embezzlement case.

According to investigators, employees of the VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000).