MOSCOW, May 14 (RAPSI) - The court has sentenced Yuri Sabanin, the former chief medical officer of the Interior Troops, to five years in prison for bribes, the ministry reported on Tuesday.

The Moscow Garrison Military Court arrested Sabanin on June 22.

According to the investigators, a businessman whose company traded in medical equipment won the bidding for mobile hospital supplies for the Interior Troops in 2010.

After the bidding, Sabanin requested a 3.5 percent share of the 100 million ruble transaction for protection and the prospects of winning other government contracts. Sabanin was detained in a hospital as he accepted the bribe.

It has been reported that he attempted to get rid of the money by throwing it out of a restroom window. He then simulated a heart attack, but the ambulance team did not confirm his diagnosis.

"The investigators have also uncovered that Sabanin illegally obtained a studio apartment in Moscow worth over 6.3 million rubles ($200,765)," the ministry said.

According to earlier reports, he applied for a state apartment as a housing commission member after concealing that he owned a 274.4 square meter house outside Moscow.

A similar case against former Chief Military Physician Alexander Belevitin and his deputy Alexei Nikitin was reviewed by the court last year.

Investigators maintained that Belevitin and Nikitin accepted 7 million rubles ($238,000) in bribes to act as intermediaries in signing medical equipment supply contracts for the Defense Ministry worth over 187 million rubles ($5.75 million).

It is estimated that the equipment was purchased at inflated prices and inflicted over 51 million rubles ($1.6 million) in losses on the government.  The court sentenced Belevitin to eight years in prison. Nikitin was fined 1,7 million rubles ($54,178).