The Moscow City Court, where the case of US citizen Edmond Pope, accused of espionage, is being heard, yesterday rejected the defense's request to disqualify state prosecutor Oleg Plotnikov on the grounds of family ties with a member of the investigative team. Earlier it turned out that at the first stage, Mr. Plotnikov’s son participated in the investigation, so the defense believed that this circumstance would discredit all the charges brought against the American. However, the court did not agree with the point of view of lawyer Pavel Astakhov, although it accepted Oleg Plotnikov’s challenge, but for completely different circumstances related to the deterioration of his health.
