During three years since it started to manage the Chisinau International Airport, Avia Invest SRL changed the owners three times. The last majority shareholder is an offshore company based in Cyprus whose beneficiary is a businessman from Moscow. The members of the Administration Board of Avia Invest were also replaced. The change was made at the beginning of September, IPN reports, quoting an investigation by RISE Moldova.

According to the authors of the investigation, the place of Mikhail Fedorov from Russia on the Administration Board was occupied by Ilona Shor, the stepmother of mayor of Orhei Ilan Sor, who is accused of swindle and money laundering in a case concerning the robbing of Banca de Economii (Savings Bank).

The investigative journalists said the Moscow-based firm Komaksavia OOO, which owned 95% of the share capital of Avia Invest, sold its share to Komaksavia Airport Invest Ltd of Cyprus. Now, the only founder of the company that reminds directly of the tie with Russia, Habarovskii Aeroport (Habarovsk Airport), holds only 5% of the share capital.

Founded on August 19, 2016, the Cypriot company has one founder – 62-year-old Moscow businessman Modris Karklinsh. There is no information about other businesses run by Modris Karklinsh in Russia, Moldova and other states. In May 2016, Modris Karklinsh was named administrator of Komaksavia of Moscow, which until September owned a majority holding in Avia Invest. The commercial register of Russia shows 19 other companies are based at the same address in Moscow, 16 of which are active.