MOSCOW, December 19 - RAPSI. The court has held against former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov in his defamation lawsuit against Presidential Administration head Sergei Naryshkin, Luzhkov's lawyer told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

Luzhkov sought to recover 1 million ruble ($31,400) in compensation.

The court earlier heard the parties' arguments in the case.

Naryshkin's lawyer said his client's allegations of "unprecedented corruption" in Moscow during Luzhkov's tenure as mayor were grounded on President Dmitry Medvedev's order to dismiss him due to a loss of confidence.

In turn, Luzhkov's lawyer maintains that Naryshkin's statement discredited the former Moscow mayor and damaged his reputation.

Meanwhile, the court remanded the trial to the early stage after it involved RIA Novosti to participate in the case as the third party.

The court included RIA Novosti in the case at Rossiyskaya Gazeta's request, which said it reissued Naryshkin's statement from RIA Novosti's newswire.

Luzhkov's lawyer said earlier that his client had never committed corruption crimes and had never been prosecuted.