MOSCOW, October 3 (RAPSI) – An inspection carried by the Moscow prosecutor’s office resulted in the fraud case being launched against employees of the troubled Natalie Tours company, the spokesperson of the Prosecutor General’s Office Alexander Kurennoy told RAPSI on Wednesday.
Prosecutors found that Natalie Tours and Panorama Tour received over one million rubles ($15,200) as payment for provision of tourist products and services that were not actually carried out.
The criminal case was classified as fraud committed by an organized criminal group or on an especially large scale.
In early July, Natalie Tours reported cancellation of all tours and suspension of sales because of financial problems. Later, the company started paying compensations to clients for canceled tours.
Natalie Tours, a tour operator on the Russian foreign tourist market, was founded in April 1992. In 2014, the company’s amount of business was estimated at $850 million.