MOSCOW, November 14 (RAPSI) - Domodedovo Commercial Services, a subsidiary of Russia’s Domodedovo airport, has filed an application with the Commercial Court of the Moscow Region demanding to recover 55.8 million rubles (about $9 million) from VIM Airlines, according to court records.

The applicant is engaged in ensuring effective partnership between Moscow Domodedovo Airport's business units and the airlines.

The hearing date has not been scheduled yet.

In November, the Moscow Commercial Court seized property of VIM Airlines including passenger seats, life vests and oxygen masks on the request of Avangard bank as part of its lawsuit over the air carrier’s 134-million-ruble debt ($2.3 million).
On October 17, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines.

Investigators believe that certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the company’s failure to pay debts to creditors in full.

Earlier, probe was opened into VIM Airlines employees over alleged embezzlement.

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).

In late September, 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.

VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant, Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva, have been arrested as part of the case. Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, according to investigators.

On November 1, the High Court of Ireland issued temporary orders against three aviation firms linked to Mursekayev and appointed a receiver of their shares.