"Because of the opinion that the transfer of the courts has been already decided upon, Kasyanov has taken a decision to recall his assignment," he said.
Merzlikin confirmed that Kasyanov gave the assignment to a number of ministries and government departments to draw up a preliminary plan, and financially substantiate it, for a possible transfer of higher bodies of judicial authority from Moscow to St Petersburg. However, the head of the government apparatus specified, that assignment contained nothing that could be interpreted as an adopted decision on transferring the courts to the city on the Neva.
"The question of the transfer of higher judicial bodies to St Petersburg has not been raised at the practical level," said the head of the government apparatus.
