Investigators have opened a criminal case against unidentified employees of online travel booking agency Eviterra Travel on fraud charges, the Investigative Committee said Thursday.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
According to investigators, employees of Eviterra Travel sold tickets for flights by various carriers on behalf of Avia Center ticket agency, but did not pay the latter over 1 million rubles ($30,600) of commission money on time. Avia Center then canceled several thousand tickets that had already been sold, RBC reported.
The authorities continue to look into the matter to establish the individuals who may have been involved in the crime, the Investigative Committee said.
Eviterra announced earlier that all cancelled tickets with departure dates after Jan. 5 will be valid again.
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