MOSCOW, October 1 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court has upheld seizure of 127 million euros as part of a case against ex-Minister for Open Government affairs Mikhail Abyzov charged with a 4-billion-ruble ($62 million) embezzlement, the court’s press service has told RAPSI.

According to a court representative, the funds are deposited on the accounts of 5 companies related to the former minister. The assets are to be seized until the investigation is completed.

Earlier in August, the court ordered that 437 million rubles (about $6.7 million) held in two bank accounts owned by former government minister Mikhail Abyzov be kept seized.

The Basmanny District Court of Moscow ordered the seizure of the funds on April 1 along with real estate owned by Abyzov, including two land plots and two cottages in the Moscow Region, three flats, four rooms and a car parking spot in Moscow.

Moreover, the Moscow City Court in July upheld a lower court's decision to seize 925 million rubles (nearly $15 million) held in eight bank accounts of six firms allegedly linked to former minister.

Finally, the Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow issued an order in July allowing to seize shares of a number of companies owned by Abyzov, with estimates ranging from 10 to 19 billion rubles ($159 – 300 million).

The former government minister was charged with organizing a criminal group and embezzling 4 billion rubles ($62 million) with co-conspirators from two energy companies supplying electricity to Siberia.

Investigators claim that the alleged crimes were committed between April 2011 and November 2014 while the alleged embezzled sum were taken out of the country.

A Moscow court ruled in March that Abyzov should be held in a pre-trial detention facility.