MOSCOW, October 16 - RAPSI. The Tverskoy District Court has held in favor of the lawyer of former Moscow Northern District prefect Yuri Khardikov, who complained about an investigator who refused to grant her access to her client’s criminal case, the lawyer told RAPSI.

According to  lawyer Lyudmila Sidorova, the case was initiated against Kardikov and his mother Zinaida Sadovnokova upon the request of Yelena Baturina, Russia's richest woman and the wife of former Moscow Yuri Luzhkov.

Khardikov was dismissed from office in late 2008. He was later prosecuted upon Baturina's request.

Investigators found that he had sold a land plot in Sochi to Baturina in 2007 through the Olymp-2014 company, although he knew the land had been seized by court order. Baturina allegedly sustained 1 billion rubles ($34 million) in damages as a result. Meanwhile, Khardikov said the land was reclaimed after Baturina's purchase.The court issued an arrest warrant for Khardikov in absentia and placed him on the international wanted list.

In March 2011, Lithuania granted him political asylum.

In September, the Moscow Commercial Court granted the plaintiff's appeal to transfer the case to the Krasnodar Territorial Commercial Court, as Olymp-2014 was registered in Sochi.