Moscow Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee continues investigating a criminal case against heads of travel agencies OOO Labyrinth, ZAO Labyrinth-T, OOO Company Labyrinth and Ideal-Tour Sergey Azarskov and Mikhail Shamanov. They have been charged in absentia with a crime under part 4 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code (fraud).
According to investigators, no later than in December 2013, Shamanov and Azarsckov developed a scam how to steal money from the clients of the travel agencies. To do that the accused inclined representatives of the Labyrinth group of companies to sell most of the stocks and shares in the authorized capital to Azarskov to gain control over the companies. Later on the accomplices received money from their clients meant to pay for plane tickets, but were not going to carry out their obligations and transferred the money to the account of a company under their control and later spent it on their own needs. As a result of their criminal actions a lot of citizens were affected who were going to spent holidays aboard and those who were already abroad.
At present Shamanov and Azarskov are internationally wanted and a court has ruled to remand them in custody pending the trial. The investigators are assessing the damage caused to the clients of the travel agencies and are identifying accomplices of the accused.
Saint-Petersburg Investigations Directorate has also launched another criminal investigation in illicit financial transactions carried out by the Nordic Star travel agency as containing signs of a crime under part 4 of article 159 (fraud). Additionally, the investigators in Saint-Petersburg are identifying owners and top managers of travel agencies whose actions affected tens of thousands of clients.
Head of Media Relations V.I. Markin
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