THE company that arranged David Lammy’s disastrous taxi trip has claimed the Foreign Office booked him on their “worst offer”.
GetTransfer was used last month to hire a chauffeur to drive the UK’s Foreign Secretary from Forli, Italy to French ski resort Flaine.
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But driver Nasim Mimun claimed the Labour MP became aggressive when refusing to pay an extra £590 on top of the agreed fare.
Alexander Sapov, CEO and co-founder of GetTransfer, wrote a blog post yesterday “in relation to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy ‘taxigate’ incident”.
Mr Sapov claimed the 2015 Ford Kuga was a “small vehicle” which was “not suited for VIP transportation”.
He said: “The chosen option appeared to me that it was the worst offer that was selected – someone selecting a beginner driver with inferior vehicle specifications and ratings”.
Mr Sapov, 42, insisted there were more “superior rated drivers and premium vehicles” available and urged personal assistants not to scrimp on their clients.
He added: “While I myself understand the tendency to opt for lower prices, it’s crucial to remember that if you are dealing with high-ranking government officials and VIPs, and their families, please consider all factors upon selecting.
“Remember – price isn’t the only factor that matters. Quality matters just as much, if not more, than the price alone.”
It comes after The Sun revealed Kremlin links to GetTransfer, founded by Mr Sapov, Pavel Zaitsev and Russian playboy entrepreneur Alexander Pershikov.
In November, 2012, Mr Sapov and Mr Pershikov, 44, both worked for communications agency Kremlin Multimedia which carried out pro-government projects.
GetTransfer insisted it had been comprehensively restructured to “eliminate any potential links to Russia”.
Mr Mimun, 40, has since been charged with theft after driving off with Mr Lammy’s belongings before later returning them.
A Foreign Office spokesman declined to comment on the GetTransfer open letter, adding: “We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full.
“The Foreign Secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been fired by his employer and charged with theft.
“As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
