MOSCOW, December 16 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – Moscow's Basmanny District Court has seized ten land plots and a house belonging to former Economy Minister Alexey Ulyukayev, who stands charged with extorting a $2 million bribe, a court official told RAPSI on Friday.

Ulyukayev’s property was seized in the Smolensk Region.

The former minister was arrested while receiving a bribe. He allegedly demanded Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft’s representative to pay him $2 million for lawfully providing a positive review and evaluation of a deal that allowed Rosneft to acquire government’s share in mid-sized producer Bashneft. According to acting spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko, Ulyukayev threatened to create obtrusions for Rosneft with use of his position.

Ulyukayev has pleaded not guilty.

On November 15, Moscow's Basmanny District Court has put him under house arrest until January 15.

Later in the evening, President Vladimir Putin relieved Ulyukayev of his post because of loss of trust.