MOSCOW, May 31 (RAPSI) - Ex-Deputy Chairman of the Komi government Konstantin Romadanov has been sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined 170 million rubles ($2.7 million), the press service of Russia’s Investigative Committee reports Thursday.

Romadanov has been found guilty of participation in a criminal gang, taking a bribe and money laundering, the statement reads.

On May 17, a prosecutor demanded a 9-year prison term and a 180-million-ruble fine for the defendant.

The case against Romadanov was separated from embezzlement case involving Vyacheslav Gaizer, the former Komi Republic’s head.

Investigators believe that a criminal gang involving Gaizer, another republic’s ex-head Vladimir Torlopov, ex-deputy head Alexander Chernov, ex-Chairman of the Republican State Council Igor Kovzel and 10 other people, was organized in 2006. Depending of their involvement and role in crimes, they are charged with taking bribes, embezzlement and money laundering.

According to investigation, the gang leaders and members committed crimes aimed at occupation of the region’s highly profitable enterprises or instituting control over them for the purposes of unlawful enrichment. They allegedly caused a 4.5-billion-ruble (over $70 million) damage to the republic.

Investigators also accuse the gang members of taking bribes totaling to 160 million rubles in 2013. Moreover, Gaizer himself received 37.5 million rubles in bribes for assignment of a person identified by investigators to the post of the Syktyvkar liquor producer’s director.