MOSCOW, August 14 (RAPSI) - Opposition activist Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg pleaded not guilty in the Yves Rocher embezzlement case, RAPSI reports from the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow.

The brothers stand accused in a fraud case involving cosmetics company Yves Rocher Vostok. Investigators allege that the Navalny brothers embezzled upwards of 26 million rubles ($717,792) from the cosmetics company, as well as upwards of 4 million rubles ($110,430) 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.

Alexei Navalny is an opposition politician and public leader and head of the Party of Progress. He ran in the 2013 mayoral election in Moscow and writes one of the most popular sociopolitical blogs, which was put on the list of prohibited sources after allegedly encouraging people to participate in unauthorized public events.