MOSCOW, January 31 - RAPSI. Fourteen employees of the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office were discharged after a gambling scandal broke out in spring 2011, regional prosecutor Alexander Anikin reported on Tuesday.

The illegal casino scandal incited a public uproar. Businessman Ivan Nazarov allegedly operated illegal casinos in 15 towns across the region. According to law enforcement authorities, several high-ranking officials of prosecutor's offices and the Interior Ministry were involved in the casino operation, which generated between $5 million and $10 million in revenue monthly.

"Last year 14 employees of municipal and district prosecutor's offices were removed from office and discharged. By now there are eight vacancies at the prosecutor's office," Anikin said.

He added that last year was "one of most difficult" for the office: it worked in a psychologically harsh environment.

The casino case has resulted in a decrease of the region residents' trust to prosecutors and in some districts even in overt insults.