MOSCOW, February 7 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov) – The Moscow District Military court has found three medical employees of the Vishnevsky Third Central Military Clinical Hospital guilty of taking bribes and sentenced them to various prison terms, RAPSI reported from the court on Tuesday.

The hospital’s deputy head Sergey Svistunov has been sentenced to 9 years in high security prison, fined 4 million rubles ($68,100) and stripped of his Colonel rank and prohibited from holding key positions in health care providing institutions for 6 years. Chief of one of the hospital departments Dmitry Mokritsky received a 5-year prison term pus 2-million-rubles fine ($34,000). He was also deprived of a right to hold key posts in medical organizations for 3 year. The third defendant, head of admitting office Avetis Melkonyan, who had pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 3.5 years in high security prison.

Prosecutors earlier asked to give 12 years in high security prison plus 8-million rubles ($136,300) fine to Svistunov, 9 years 9 prison plus 2.5-million rubles ($42,600) fine to Mokritsky, and 7 years in jail plus 2.5-million rubles fine to Melkonyan.

According to investigators, the accused persons took bribes from patients ranging from 30,000 ($511) to 350,000 rubles ($6,000). The court found that Svistunov had used his official position for committing the crime. During the trial Svistunov and Mokritsky has pleaded not guilty.