Foreign Office used a firm with links to the Kremlin to book David Lammy's fare-row taxi
GetTransfer was founded by Russian playboy entrepreneur Alexander Pershikov, as well as Alexander Sapov and Pavel Zaitsev.
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Pershikov and Sapov, then 32 and 29, worked for a communications agency called Kremlin Multimedia in November 2012.
The company worked on pro-government projects and sought to promote Moscow as a tourist location.
It also pushed brands for Moscow and Russia and represented some politicians, including Dmitry Medvedev, a crony of Vladimir Putin.
The Foreign Office used GetTransfer to book a chauffeur to drive Mr Lammy and his wife on a six-hour trip from Italy to a French ski resort last month.
But driver Nasim Mimun demanded an extra £590 on top of the already agreed fare and said Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy — who yesterday met Pakistan's deputy PM Ishaq Dar — refused to pay and became aggressive.
Mr Mimun, 40, drove off with their belongings including luggage and cash.
He later returned them but has been charged with theft.
Get Transfer and the Foreign Office have been approached for comment.
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The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
