MOSCOW, February 15 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – The Moscow City Court will consider an appeal against a lower court’s ruling ordering the seizure of property belonging to Moscow's anti-doping laboratory’s ex-head Gregory Rodchenkov, who is involved in a criminal case over abuse of office, on March 1, the Basmanny District Court’s spokesperson told RAPSI on Wednesday.

Earlier, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court for the second time ordered the seizure of a double-stored house owned by Rodchenkov. During the hearing, investigators withdrew their motion to seize a land plot belonging to the defendant.

In December, the Moscow City Court overturned a lower court’s ruling to arrest Rodchenkov’s land plot and cottage. The issue was sent for reconsideration.

In May 2016, The New York Times published an article citing Rodchenkov, who maintained that at least 15 Russian athletes winning gold medals in Sochi were involved in a Russian “doping program” aimed to dominate its home Olympics.
Later a criminal case over alleged abuse of office was launched against Rodchenkov. However, charges have not been brought against him; Rodchenkov is still a suspect in the case.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced that Rodchenkov, who had fled to the U.S., was unlawfully selling prohibited medicines and deliberately destroyed doping tests of Russian athletes.

The Investigative Committee has launched a probe into mass media reports about violations of anti-doping rules by Russian athletes.