MOSCOW, June 24 (RAPSI) - Moscow’s Babushkinsky District Court has rejected  an appeal filed by opposition activist and anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny challenging the ruling in a libel case against Moscow municipal lawmaker Alexei Lisovenko, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

Judge Alexander Glukhov has thus upheld a Moscow magistrate court’s order to fine Navalny 300,000 rubles ($8,752). The sentence has taken effect.

Lisovenko stated that even though Navalny was under a house arrest and restricted from using the Internet, he addresses his followers through twitter and accused him of being a drug addict.

Lisovenko was pleased with the court’s decision mentioning that Navalny had removed slanderous statements from his Twitter account.

Navalny ran for Moscow mayor in 2013, losing to the Kremlin-backed incumbent, but boosting his public exposure through a vigorous grassroots campaign. He gained just over 27 percent of the vote, well above what initial polls suggested he would get.

Navalny has been placed under a house arrest since March 28, and is prohibited from using the Internet after restriction measures were imposed on him as a part of the Yves Rocher embezzlement case.

Navalny and his brother Oleg stand accused in a fraud case involving cosmetics company Yves Rocher Vostok. Investigators allege that the Navalny brothers embezzled upwards of 26 million rubles (over $730,000) from the cosmetics company, as well as upwards of 4 million rubles (over $110,000) from the Multidisciplinary Processing Company by way of a fraud scheme. The brothers were further charged with having laundered 21 million rubles.

Alexei Navalny has already been given a suspended sentence of five years for the embezzlement of funds owned by Kirovles company.