MOSCOW, October 11 - RAPSI, Dmitry Shchitov. A court of appeals put off until October 17 the appeal by Loyalty Partners Vostok against the refusal to invalidate the claim for taxes, penalties and a fine worth $3.55 million, the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) reported from the court on Tuesday.

Loyalty Partners Vostok is the operator of the Malina bonus program.

Loyalty Partners appealed the Moscow Commercial Court's December 9, 2010 decision. The court dismissed its lawsuit to cancel the tax service's decision to charge it $2.45 million in profit taxes, $599,640 in penalties and a fine in $466,390.

The company believes that the tax service's claim is illegal.

Loyalty Partners maintained the claim was illegal and was based on the June 18, 2010 decision "On Attracting Loyalty Partners Vostok to Liability for Committing a Tax Crime", which never came into effect.

The court put off the hearing to allow the tax service's lawyers to submit additional documents.