MOSCOW, March 24 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court upheld on Monday the ruling of a lower court to place anti-corruption crusader and opposition stalwart Alexei Navalny under house arrest, RAPSI reports from the court room.

Prosecutors moved for more limited restrictions against Navalny after he participated in an unsanctioned protest in central Moscow, where he was accused of making a scene and resisting arrest.

Moscow's Basmanny District Court granted the motion in late February, ordering that Navalny should be placed under house arrest in connection with the Yves Rocher embezzlement case. Navalny has been prohibited from using any communication devices, as well as the internet.

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.