MOSCOW, September 11 (RAPSI) – Former national football team halfback Yevgeny Aldonin seeks to recover 47.4 million rubles (about $650,000) from Russia’s Interior Ministry alleging the police failed to properly investigate an embezzlement at Zamoskovretsky bank, where he had his deposits, lawyer Alexander Burchuk tells RAPSI on Friday.

Moscow’s Zamoskovretsky District Court is to start hearing Aldonin’s new claim on September 23, according to Burchuk.

The claim is based on a Russian Civil Code provision establishing responsibility of state bodies, local governments, and their officials for damages caused by their actions or inaction.

In 2019, ex-footballers Yevgeny Aldonin, Dmitry Sychov, Dmitry Khokhlov, Yury Nikiforov, Andrey Karyaka, and Dmitry Kirichenko initiated civil suits against the Interior Ministry jointly seeking the recovery of about 260 million (about $3.5 million at the current exchange rate); nevertheless, their claims were dismissed.

Former footballers believed that police should compensate them the damages suffered due to foot-dragging in the probe into embezzlement at Zamoskvoretsky bank, where they had their deposits.

After the license revocation along with Aldonin five other footballers lost their funds. They deposited over 350 million rubles (currently about $4.7 million) in the bank hoping for 30-40 per cent per annum but got deprived of the money.

In November 2018, the Moscow City Court granted the footballers’ lawsuit against the Finance Ministry and awarded 30,000 rubles (over $450) in compensation each for violation of their right to trial within a reasonable time.

Zamoskvoretsky bank lost its license in 2014.

The bank’s former board chair and co-owner Ilya Budarin, who was accused of a 2.5-billion-ruble embezzlement (about $33.4 million), fled from investigation and was put on the wanted list. Later, he was arrested and detained.