MOSCOW, March 18 (RAPSI) – Alexander Gorshkolepov, deputy head of the property department at the Russian Defense Ministry, has been charged with taking large bribes, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told journalists on Wednesday.

Markin said that in 2013 Gorshkolepov took at least 2 million rubles ($32,400 at the current exchange rate) in bribes for helping assign people to desired positions. Gorshkolepov and his relatives also received various services valued at over 1 million rubles (over $16,000) combined.

The penalties for these crimes include a fine 80 to 100 times larger than the bribe and a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

On March 5, Moscow's Savyolovsky District Court ordered the detention of Gordhkolepov until May 3.

 The ex-director of an Oboronservis company, Sergei Drobysh, who has been also detained in the bribery case, is believed to have acted as Gorshkolepov’s agent.

Markin said the crime was exposed with help from the Defense Ministry’s top officials.

Gorshkolepov is the first senior Defense Ministry official to have been arrested on corruption charges after Sergei Shoigu was appointed defense minister in 2012.