MOSCOW, September 1 - RAPSI. The Moscow Commercial Court has set for October 6 preliminary hearings in a 473 million ruble ($16.35 million) claim filed by the Bank of Moscow against Moscows garage construction and management department and nine other co-defendants over the "Peoples Garage" program, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

The bank told RIA Novosti that it filed a lawsuit after the defendants defaulted on their payments under a loan agreement and on their contractual obligations under a guarantee agreement.

The Moscow government launched the Peoples Garage program in 2009, under which it started selling parking lots on February 15, 2010. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has stated that he considers the construction of modern parking areas the key answer to relieving heavy traffic.