MOSCOW, June 20 - RAPSI. High-ranking official in the Federal Environmental, Engineering and Nuclear Supervision Agency (Rostekhnadzor) Alexander Gazhu is suspected of having accepted a $30,000 bribe, the Investigative Committee told on Wednesday.

"Investigators suspect that from April 2012 through June 16, 2012 Gazhu received 1.1 million rubles from a company director for concealing violations uncovered during the inspection and for ongoing protection," a source said.

The official was detained when receiving the last installment of 600,000 rubles. Gazhu has already been arrested at the investigators’ request. He now faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine a dozen times the amount of the bribe.

Rostekhnadzor oversees subsoil management, industrial safety, and nuclear application safety. Gazhu was the deputy head of the construction safety department in the agency.