MOSCOW, March 29 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court has overturned the ruling of a lower court 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, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Wednesday.

The court has granted an appeal filed against the Basmanny District Court’s ruling, issued on December 27 of the last year, seizing a double-stored house owned by Rodchenkov until June 17.

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.