MOSCOW, November 15 - RAPSI. Yuri Khardivkov, the former prefect of Moscow's Northern Administrative District, has filed a legal challenge related to the actions of investigators who accused him of fraud, attorney Lyudmila Sidorova told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Thursday.

"I believe his June 13th charges are illegal, that he violated the process stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code, specifically Khardikov's right to defense, because we, the attorneys, were not notified about it," Sidorova said.

According to Sidorova, the case against Khardikov and his mother Zinaida Sadovnokova was based on charges by Yelena Baturina, Russia's richest woman and the wife of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

Khardikov was dismissed from office in late 2008. He was later accused based on charges filed by Baturina.

Investigators found that Khardikov sold property 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 motion to transfer the case to the Krasnodar Territorial Commercial Court, as Olymp-2014 was registered in Sochi.