MOSCOW, February 12 (RAPSI) - Ex-chief of the Federal Antimonopoly Service’s Dagestan Directorate Kubasay Kubasayev on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to receiving bribes totaling to 2.6 million rubles (about $40,000 at the current exchange rate), RAPSI reports from the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow. 

The defendant also said that he did not fully understand the charges and added that he is going to give testimony after examination of evidence and interrogation of witnesses.

On Wednesday, the court questioned several witnesses in the case.

According to investigation, between 2013 and 2015, Kubasayev received money, Swiss watches and a sporting gun for a total of about 2.6 million rubles from Shamil Kadiyev, the director of the republic’s state public institution Office of the Single State Customer - Developer. In return, he did not obstruct the holding of auctions by the organization for the right of concluding government contracts.

The former official could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.