MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti)---The General Prosecutor's Office of Russia is seeking to strip all of Mikhail Khodokorvky's defense team, with the exception of Genrikh Pavda and Yury Shmidt, of their licenses to practice law, a spokeswoman said Friday.

She said that the Yukos oil major had used "criminal methods" in every area.

"And the lawyers used these methods, which were close to criminal," the spokeswoman said.