Russian law enforcement authorities filed a lawsuit against Moscows Domodedovo Airport and its co-owners following a preliminary probe into the airports privatization in the early 1990s, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.The details of the arbitration case have not been disclosed, but Kommersant noted that privatization investigations often lead to asset seizures and re-nationalization lawsuits.The Prosecutor Generals Office reportedly reviewed Domodedovos privatization documents before filing the lawsuit with the Moscow Court of Arbitration.
The lawsuit names 30 operating companies alongside Domodedovo Airports co-owners, Dmitry Kamenshchik and Valery Kogan, as defendants.According to Kommersant, prosecutors notified the defendants about the lawsuit by mail but have not disclosed the findings of their privatization probe.Domodedovos press service stated that the airport strictly adheres to current legislation and said it needed time to review the case.A highly profitable, privately owned airport with undisclosed ownership details, Domodedovo has faced repeated investigations from Russian law enforcement officials over the years.The lawsuit against the airport follows an October ruling by Russias Constitutional Court that lifted statutes of limitations on state asset seizures in anti-corruption cases.
However, the court specified at the time that the ruling applies only to anti-corruption legislation and does not extend to cases of unlawful privatization from Russias turbulent 1990s.Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has nationalized an estimated 1 trillion rubles ($10.8 billion) worth of what authorities described as strategic assets.Moscows three other international airports Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky are all state-run.